Crews rapidly got a handle on yet another Southern California fire that was reported in Oxnard on Monday night.
Live footage from AlertCalifornia showed flames of the Auto Fire spreading near the River Ridge Golf Course around 8 p.m.
At 9:05 p.m., the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office issued an evacuation order for Zone 1, which included the Santa Clara River between Ventura Road and Victoria Avenue.
Although no residential structures are within the evacuation zone, Ventura County spokesperson Andrew Dowd said “Anyone in and around the river bottom needs to get to a safe location.”
“Immediate threat to life,” officials said. “This is a lawful order to LEAVE NOW. The area is lawfully closed to public access.”
(Ventura County Sheriff Emergency Services – Incident Dashboard)
“The fire is confined to the riverbed and poses no threat to structures at this time,” stated an alert update on the county’s emergency website.
County officials said Victoria Avenue was closed between Gonzales Road and Olivas Park Drive as of 9:30 p.m., asking drivers to avoid the area and seek alternative routes. The road was reopened just before midnight.
The California Highway Patrol incident page reported seeing a large fire breaking out in the Santa Clara River bottom at around 7:15 p.m. near Ventura Road and Auto Center Drive.
In a live interview with KTLA at 10 p.m., county spokesperson Andrew Dowd said investigators are already on the scene, working to determine the cause of the fire.
“Our firefighters are making incredible progress,” said Dowd. “The forward progress of this fire has slowed significantly, and we’re anticipating having forward progress stopped very shortly.”
Approximately 75 firefighters with the Ventura County Fire and Oxnard Fire departments were on the scene of the Auto Fire, with officials noting on social media that the blaze is “medium fuels with a moderate rate of spread.”
An aerial view of the Auto Fire is seen in Ventura County around 10 p.m. on Jan. 13, 2025. (Sky5)
An aerial view of the Auto Fire is seen in Ventura County around 10 p.m. on Jan. 13, 2025. (Sky5)
An aerial view of the Auto Fire is seen in Ventura County around 10:20 p.m. on Jan. 13, 2025. (Sky5)
An aerial view of the Auto Fire is seen in Ventura County around 9:45 p.m. on Jan. 13, 2025.
An aerial view of the Auto Fire is seen in Ventura County around 9:50 p.m. on Jan. 13, 2025.
An aerial view of the Auto Fire is seen in Ventura County around 9:50 p.m. on Jan. 13, 2025.
An aerial view of the Auto Fire is seen in Ventura County around 10:20 p.m. on Jan. 13, 2025. (Sky5)
An aerial view of the Auto Fire is seen in Ventura County around 9:45 p.m. on Jan. 13, 2025.
An aerial view of the Auto Fire is seen in Ventura County around 9:45 p.m. on Jan. 13, 2025.
Firefighters on the scene of the Auto Fire in Oxnard on Jan. 13, 2025. (VCFD)
Firefighters on the scene of the Auto Fire in Oxnard on Jan. 13, 2025. (VCFD)
Within an hour of igniting, Auto Fire in Ventura County seen from Willis Peak 1 camera on Jan. 13, 2025. (AlertCalifornia)
Within an hour of igniting, Auto Fire in Ventura County seen from Willis Peak 1 camera on Jan. 13, 2025. (AlertCalifornia)
The fire was upgraded at around 9 p.m. to a first alarm brush response bringing in an additional five engines and one bulldozer, according to the Watch Duty App.
At 11:45 p.m., VCFD announced on X that crews stopped the forward progress of the fire, mapping it at 55.7 acres.
“Firefighters from #VCFD, Ventura City Fire, Oxnard Fire and Federal Fire Ventura County remain on scene mopping up hotspots and working to increase containment,” said the fire department. “The fire was confined to the river bottom and no structures were threatened. The cause of the fire Is under investigation.”
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