Firefighters say an illegal campfire was to blame for a blaze that has scorched 126 acres of brush in Los Padres National Forest northwest of Ojai.

The Rancho Fire, which began Sunday morning in the Dick Smith Wilderness Area, was so remote that fire crews had to be dropped off by helicopter, officials said.

By Monday, firefighters had established a line around the fire and expected to gain complete control by 6 a.m. today if the weather cooperates, said Earl Clayton, a Forest Service spokesman.

"Winds are gusting between 25 and 30 m.p.h., and there's always a chance the winds could pick up an ember and deposit it in front of the containment line."

Clayton said the rugged area 18 miles northwest of Ojai may not have burned in the last 80 years.

Investigators have determined that the blaze was caused by an illegal campfire, Clayton said. During the fire season, no wood or charcoal fires are permitted outside maintained campgrounds, he said.

He estimated that it cost $250,000 to $300,000 to fight the Rancho Fire.