Los Padres Fire Is Mostly Contained
A forest fire that burned for three days and blackened as many as 700 acres in Los Padres National Forest was 98% contained Thursday night, federal forest officials said.
Total containment was expected before midnight, forest officials said.
Half of the 600 firefighters working on the blaze were sent home Thursday night, and the remaining crews were to be released today, said Joe Pasinato, a spokesman for the U.S. Forest Service.
The cost of fighting the fire was between $350,000 and $600,000, fire officials said.
The fire started Tuesday afternoon near Kings Campground on the western border of the Hungry Valley State Vehicular Recreation Area in northeastern Ventura County.
Federal investigators said two people who were target-shooting in a legal shooting area near the campground accidentally caused the fire. There have been no arrests.
The fire was the first major blaze in Ventura County since the start of the fire season June 1.
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