Vegetation fire closes portion of Highway 41 while nearby house fire injures 1 person

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Highway 41 West connecting Morro Bay and Atascadero was closed in both directions Tuesday afternoon after a brush fire erupted in the area.

The highway closed about three quarters of the way from Morro Bay to Atascadero, in the 10200 block of the highway. Atascadero Fire Department Chief Casey Bryson said the fire was just past San Gabriel Road near the three bridges area.

According to emergency response app PulsePoint , the fire began around 4:11 p.m. It was contained shortly after, with firefighters mopping up the scene by 4:45 p.m.

The cause was under investigation.

Officials at the scene told The Tribune the highway would be closed for roughly an hour, with the possibility of one lane opening sooner.

About a fourth of an acre burned, Bryson said.

A brief slowdown in traffic was reported in the vicinity of the closure, stretching back to Santa Rita Ranch Road, according to Caltrans QuickMap .

Another fire injures 1 in Atascadero

No one was injured in the Highway 41 fire, Bryson said, but an earlier fire in the city nearby did send a resident to the hospital with minor injuries.

That incident was a house fire that sparked around 3:21 p.m., Bryson said, with the attic, garage, back patio and part of the house engulfed in flames.

The cause for that fire was also under investigation.

Forward progress for both fires had been stopped as of 5:30 p.m., Bryson said.