Evacuation orders remained in effect today for a handful of areas in Santa Barbara County and most of Highway 154 was closed to travelers who needed to cross the San Marcos Pass as the Zaca Fire continued to grow.

The month-old blaze increased to 67,675 acres by this morning, and was only 68 percent contained. Full containment is not expected until Sept. 7, officials said.

The fire was burning into the Dick Smith Wilderness Area and away from populated areas, aided by backfire operations being conducted by firefighters, said Jeremy Hamilton of the U.S. Forest Service.

Cooler, drier weather was forecast for today, which should aid firefighters, Hamilton said.

Approximately 2,345 people were battling the blaze as of today.

Highway 154 was closed to through traffic from the junction of Highway 154 on the northern end to its intersection with Cathedral Oaks Boulevard on the Santa Barbara end to allow the flow of emergency vehicles into the area.

“The 154 was open for sometime in the morning,” said Roy Washburn, an official with the Joint Unified Incident Management Team. “But it didn’t work out well because of too many cars and too much fire equipment.”

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Residents of areas along Highway 154 were still allowed access with identification, and those using some of the children’s camps near Lake Cachuma were still allowed access but only from the Santa Ynez side of the highway, officials said.

Evacuation orders remained effective for residents who live along Paradise Road, and in the area of the Lower Santa Ynez River Road to Gibraltar Dam. Included in this region are the Paradise Road Community, Santa Ynez Road Recreational Areas to Gibraltar Dam, Los Prietos Boys Camp and Rancho Osos Guest Ranch.

An evacuation order also remained in effect for the Peachtree Community at the far eastern end of the Santa Ynez Valley.

Evacuation warnings, which mean residents should be prepared for an evacuation order at any time, remained in place for Happy Canyon Road north of Baseline Avenue, including ranches between Lake Cachuma and McKinley Ridge.

The Los Padres National Forest’s closures, which includes approximately 649,000 acres between Highway 166 in northern Santa Barbara County and Highway 33 and Matilija Canyon in Ventura County, also remained in effect Sunday.

On Saturday night a finger of the fire reached Happy Hollow, Old Man Mountain and Alexander Peak on the southwest side near Little Pine Mountain, and it continues to burn to the northeast and south, according to fire officials.

The fire line on the north side of the fire continued to hold along the Mission Pine Trail with the support of air tankers and hand crews, officials said.

“Winds from the southwest have continued to aid the firefighters,” Washburn said. “Higher humidity has also helped.”

A Type 1 National Incident Management team and an Area Command Team have been ordered by officials because the fire continues to spread in both directions, officials said.

In addition, a second fire camp is scheduled to be set up Tuesday in New Cuyama to support fire suppression efforts in the northeastern part of the fire, officials said.

Winds from the southwest should continue to move the fire away from threatened communities, the spokesman said.

Officials Sunday said the first fire line at the head of Peachtree Canyon continued to hold, and dozers continued to reinforce contingency lines in the existing fuel breaks near Paradise Road. Structure protection groups are in place in the Peachtree and Paradise areas and continue working on improvements around structures.

Smoke columns from burns in higher elevations were visible Sunday in Santa Barbara and Goleta and from other higher elevation points across the county.

The estimated cost of the fire, which began July 4, has reached $50.3 million.