Brush fire off Highway 33 in remote Ventura County spurs evacuations

A brush fire in Los Padres National Forest in Ventura County grew to 250 acres Tuesday night and threatened structures in the remote area, authorities said.

Residents were evacuated from the Apache Canyon Road area following an evacuation order by county authorities Tuesday night. The order remained in effect Wednesday morning.

The fire was reported shortly after 6:30 p.m. with smoke seen off Highway 33, also called Maricopa Highway, and Apache Canyon Road, according to Ventura County Fire Department reports.

The Apache fire had reached 250 acres as of 10:00 p.m. with zero containment, county fire officials said.

No update on the size was available as of 7:30 a.m. Wednesday, said Andrew Madsen, a spokesman with Los Padres National Forest. The fuel load appeared to be primarily flashy, he said, and wind conditions will play a large role in how it behaves.

The blaze was about half a mile east of Highway 33. The U.S. Forest Service was leading firefighting efforts.

The site along the state route. at the southeast end of the Cuyama Valley, is generally between Lockwood Valley Road and the unincorporated Ventucopa community in Santa Barbara County.

Capt. James Sullivan of the Ventura County Sheriff's office said earlier Tuesday night deputies were in the area assisting with notifications of residents. About a dozen ranch properties are in the area. No injuries or property damage had been reported, Sullivan said.

By 10:30 p.m., residents were being evacuated, county fire officials said. Earlier, authorities had issued evacuation warnings, meaning residents should be ready to leave.

Firefighters were trying to keep the blaze within Apache Canyon.

Four large air tankers and a very large air tanker, or VLAT, had been ordered for the firefight, forest service officials said.

The county fire agency sent a Firehawk helicopter, brush engines, a water tender and two hand crews to assist.

Fire officials reported before 9 p.m. Tuesday some structures were threatened. Video and photos from a county helicopter crew showed active flames in the canyon below.

Cameras that are part of the Alert California network showed a large plume of smoke rising in the area before darkness fell. The glow of flames peeked over a ridge line before 8:30 p.m.

On Wednesday morning, the same camera showed a cloud-like band of smoke stretched over a valley.

This story may be updated.

This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Brush fire reported in national forest land in Ventura County