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Auto Fire in Ventura County burns near Oxnard as extreme Santa ...

Auto Fire in Ventura County burns near Oxnard as extreme Santa
Firefighters say winds between 20 and 30 mph were blowing through the area as they attempted to quell the flames burning in the Santa Clara Riverbed.

CBS News Live

CBS News Los Angeles Live

Firefighters are battling a brushfire, dubbed the Auto Fire, that erupted in Ventura County.

It was first reported at around 7:45 Monday night in the Santa Clara River bottom bottom near N. Ventura Boulevard and Auto Center Drive, according to the Ventura County Fire Department.

It was being fueled by gusts averaging between 20 and 30 miles per hour, with stronger winds predicted as early as Tuesday morning.

CalFire says it quickly grew from 5 to 10 acres, then to about 56 by late Monday night.

That's when the VCFD said in a post on X that the blaze's "forward progress ... has been stopped ... with 0% containment."

The post said firefighters from several departments "remain on scene mopping up hotspots and working to increase containment. The fire was confined to the river bottom and no structures were threatened. The cause of the fire is under investigation."

From CBS Los Angeles' SkyCal helicopter, it appeared there were several spot fires popping up as embers were being pushed by the wind.   

Four water-dropping aircraft were on-scene, including a Chinook and a Sikorsky Sea King.

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Dean Fioresi

Dean Fioresi is a web producer for CBS Los Angeles. He covers breaking news throughout Southern California. When he's not writing about local events, he enjoys focusing on sports and entertainment.

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