KTLA

Firefighters Battling 17 Acre Wildfire in Ventura County Riverbed

A brush fire was burning in Ventura as forecasters were warning of potentially record-breaking heat and Santa Ana winds. (Credit: Los Angeles Times)

Firefighters Thursday evening were battling a brush fire in the bed of the Ventura River that’s grown to 17 acres, and crews were working overnight to prevent the blaze from spreading into nearby oilfields.

As of 9 p.m., the fire was about 35% contained.

The fire began just before 4 p.m. in the 5300 block of Ventura Avenue in Ventura, said county Fire Department spokesman Capt. Mike Lindbery.

The river bottom is typically occupied by a sizable homeless population, many of whom have been displaced by the fire.

Click here to read the full story at LATimes.com.