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Brush Fire Erupts in Los Padres National Forest

By Samantha Tata

| Monday, Sep 3, 2012 | Updated 4:18 PM PDT

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A brush fire broke out in the Los Padres National Forest Monday morning and was holding steady at about 25 acres that afternoon, according to fire officials.

The blaze, which was reported shortly after 11 a.m., scorched a rugged area in the 13200 block of Boy Scout Camp Road in Lockwood Valley, according to the Ventura County Fire Department's online incident report.

At least 125 fire personnel battled the blaze on the ground and in the air as the fire consumed brush and timber in the northeastern portion of the forest, according to Andrew Madsen with Los Padres Forest Fires.

Officials said the blaze had a "rapid rate of speed" but they were "confident" it will hold at about two dozen acres.

Aerial units dropped lines of Phos-Chek, a foam flame retardant, in an attempt to contain the blaze.

Plumes of smoke could be seen for miles.

Temperatures in the area hovered around 90 degrees and there was about 8 percent humidity when the fire broke out. Winds were gusted at about 6 mph, acording to the National Weather Service.

The brush fire is the latest blaze to break out during the Labor Day weekend, the largest being the Williams Fire, which had consumed 4,000 acres in the San Gabriel Mountains by Monday afternoon.