A brush fire burning in a mountainous area of Ventura County has topped 800 acres of land charred, and forced some evacuations.
The fire was reported just after 9:30 Saturday morning on South Mountain, outside of Somis.
Some evacuations were ordered for an area just north of Highway 118. It covers the area north of La Loma Avenue, south of Los Angeles Avenue, east of Aggen Avenue and west of La Vista Avenue. The area is largely agricultural land, with some scattered homes. No new evacuations were added during the day.
More than 100 firefighters aided by 10 aircraft are battling the blaze. Because it’s on the mountainside, aircraft are playing a key role in the battle. Because of the size of the fire, other agencies are helping the Ventura County Fire Department, including CAL FIRE, the Ventura City Fire Department, and the Los Angeles County Fire Department
There is a Red Flag Warning in effect for parts of Ventura County for what the National Weather Service describes as moderate to high Santa Ana winds. The winds are expected to ease Saturday night.
Southern California Edison notified about 38,000 customers they may be affected by precautionary Public Safety Power Shutoffs. About 2600 have actually lost power.
