Authorities lifted all evacuation orders Thursday for areas impacted by the 1700 hundred acre plus brush fire that's been burning in Ventura County. At its peak, some 7000 homes were threatened by what's called the "Easy" fire in Simi Valley.
The fire started near Easy Street just after 6 a.m. Wednesday, and rapidly spread south. At one point, it burned around the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. Firefighters aided by ample brush clearance around the facility kept it from being damaged. One home has been confirmed destroyed. A second structure was destroyed or damaged, and a number of outbuildings were lost.
There were only scattered areas of light smoke coming from the fire zone Thursday morning, with firefighters focused on looking for hot spots which could potentially create problems as a result of wind.
The blaze is boxed in by Highway 118 on the north, Highway 23 on the west, Madera Road Road on the east, and Olsen Road on the south. Firefighters sucessfully succeeded in keeping the fire from spreading outside of the box to other areas. They are now focused on trying to fully contain the blaze.
Evacuation orders for residents west of Highway 23 were lifted Wednesday night. The remaining evacuation orders for all other areas affected by the blaze were cancelled mid-morning Thursday.
Highway 23 was closed all day Wednesday, but reopened Thursday morning. Almost all roads closed by the blaze were reopened by mid-morning Thursday. The one exception is a portion of Tierra Rejada Road between Simi Valley and Moorpark, which is open to residents only.
The cause of the fire is under investigation, but Southern California Edison officials told state regulators they had an issue with part of their grid in the area where the fire started Wednesday morning.
