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Brush Fire Burns More Than 2500 Acres In Ventura County; Some Homes Ordered Evacuated

Fire burns 2500+ acres of land north of Santa Paula; Some evacuations ordered

A brush fire has burned more than 2500 acres of brush, and forced some evacuations in Ventura County.

The Thomas Fire is burning between Santa Paula and Ojai.  The fire was reported at around 7 Monday night, forced the evacuation of more than 400 students and staff members at Thomas Aquinas College.  More than 400 homes on the north side of Santa Paula are also facing evacuation orders.

Evacuation centers have been set up at Nordhoff High School in Ojai, and at the Ventura County Fairgrounds in Ventura.

The flames are visible throughout much of Ventura County.  There's no word yet in projected containment, and the wind has been so strong that firefighters can't use night flying helicopters.

Lance Orozco has been News Director of KCLU since 2001, providing award-winning coverage of some of the biggest news events in the region, including the Thomas and Woolsey brush fires, the deadly Montecito debris flow, the Borderline Bar and Grill attack, and Ronald Reagan's funeral.