A vegetation fire blackened a little over 3 acres midday Thursday in the hills above homes in a residential area near Thousand Oaks and Westlake Village.
The blaze was at East Potrero Road and Pixton Street near Lake Sherwood (map), according to the Ventura County Fire Department’s website.
Firefighters were called to the scene about 11:20 a.m., and aerial video showed emergency vehicles going into a gated community at the edge of the Santa Monica Mountains.
The fire started at the base of the hill, county fire Capt. Mike Lindbery said. About 130 firefighters were on scene, along with a helicopter and two air tankers, he said.
Structure protection efforts were in place as open flames burned and the fire grew to 5 acres, Lindbery said on Twitter. He told KTLA he was confident firefighters would be able to protect homes.
A helicopter was pulling water from Lake Sherwood and dropping it on the flames, video from Sky5 showed.
Lindbery said the lake has been a “tremendous asset” in battling several fires that have burned in the area in the last year.
By about 1:10 p.m., the fire was contained at 3.2 acres, the Fire Department stated on Twitter. Extensive mop-up was continuing.
The high in Westlake Village was expected to be 91 degrees Thursday, with winds about 5 mph, according to the National Weather Service.