Hundreds of firefighters worked quickly Saturday to gain the upper hand on a 50-acre brush fire in Ventura County as gusty Santa Ana winds were predicted in the area.
The blaze, dubbed the Potrero Fire, began around 1:40 a.m. in the hills south of Thousand Oaks and north of unincorporated Lake Sherwood, according to the Ventura County Fire Department.
Earlier video of the #PotreroFire near Thousand Oaks w/@LACoFireAirOps @VCFD @VCAirUnit @VCFD_PIO #wildfire #LAwind pic.twitter.com/zKrsawFc0G
— LACoFireAirOps (@LACoFireAirOps) November 7, 2015
The fire grew to 50 acres overnight, and firefighters reached 30 percent containment as of 10 a.m.
No injuries were reported or evacuations ordered, but “400 contacts were made” through the local alert system to warn residents of a brush fire in the area, the Fire Department stated.
At one point the blaze threatened multiple Southern California Edison transmission lines that fed the Calabasas and Agoura areas, but the lines were successfully defended and service was not interrupted, the department added.
Firefighters feared gusty winds could fuel the blaze, and northeast winds blowing 10 to 15 mph, with 25 mph gusts, were reported in the area as of 4:30 a.m., according to the National Weather Service.
A wind advisory warning of isolated gusts up to 50 mph in the county’s hills was issued and expected to expire at 2 p.m.
About 330 firefighters battled the blaze, and officials from the Ventura County Fire Department, Los Angeles County Fire Department, Cal Fire, Ventura County Sheriff’s Office and Santa Barbara County Fire Department responded.
Ventura and L.A. County helicopters made water drops in the area, and four fixed-wind air tankers were expected to make fire retardant drops around the fire’s perimeter, Ventura Fire Capt. Mike Lindbery said Saturday morning.
All aircrafts were released as of 10 a.m., according to the Ventura County Fire Department.
The cause of the fire was under investigation.
