Laguna Fire possibly caused by car crashing into utility pole

SoCal Edison reveals possible cause of fire

5:45 p.m.: Southern California Edison published a report saying that a car hit and damaged a utility pole near Hueneme Road and Laguna road in Camarillo shortly before the fire broke out. SoCal Edison did not say whose vehicle it was and it is also unknown what led to the crash.

Mop-up Efforts Continue

3:45 p.m.: Firefighters continue their work to mop-up the fire. Crews remain on scene suppressing those hotspots and putting a line around the fire. 

Forward Progress Stopped

12:00 p.m.: Forward progress of the Laguna Fire has been stopped at 50 acres, according to the Ventura County Fire Department. Crews remain on the scene to take care of hot spots and increase containment. No structures have been damaged or destroyed, the VCFD said.

Evauations Downgraded

11:50 a.m.: Due to improving conditions and progress in fire suppression, the evacuation order for CSUCI and University Glen has been downgraded to an evacuation warning.

Officials said the campus has reopened but classes have been canceled for today. No employees are expected to return to work except for designated employees contacted by their supervisor. 

Classes will resume Jan. 24 unless conditions change.

Potrero Road and the Oxnard Street entrance to campus remain closed, but Lewis Road, University Drive and Camarillo Street are all open.

Animal Shelter

10:39 a.m.: A small animal shelter is open at Ventura County Animal Services located at 600 Aviation Drive in Camarillo.

Red Flag Warning

10:20 a.m.: A Red Flag Warning is in effect until 10 a.m. Friday, and a Wind Advisory in effect until 2 p.m. Thursday afternoon for LA and Ventura counties, according to the National Weather Service.

"Peak wind gusts of 35 to 50 mph will be common over much of Los Angeles and Ventura Counties, with local gusts of 50 to 65 mph in the favored mountains. Meanwhile, extremely low humidities will persist with minimums under 10 percent over much of the area and poor overnight recoveries," the NWS said in its latest forecast. 

Evacuation Point

'10:01 a.m.: A temporary evacuation point has been established at the Camarillo Community Center located at 1605 E. Burnley Street in Camarillo.

 No Structures Threatened

9:45 a.m.: The fire has grown to 15 acres, according to VC Emergency officials.

"Firefighters are making "an aggressive firefight both from the ground and from the air," Ventura County Sheriff Andrew Dowd told Good Day LA. "We had pre-positioned resources because of this wind event and that extended red flag conditions. So Ventura County Fire had staffed up ten additional fire engines, water tenders, dozers, aviation assets, hand crews, as well as management and overhead staff to be able to help manage an incident like this. So having those resources pre-positioned and available meant we could get a lot of firefighters on scene immediately and work to start controlling this fire."

The fire is not threatening any structures, according to Sheriff Dowd. 

"We've identified the potential of a threat. We have resources here to be able to mitigate that threat as if it should come up. But as you see where this fire is located around the mountain right now, it's not progressing directly at any structures," he added.

Road Closures

9:39 a.m.: Potrero Road and Lewis Road south of Pleasant Valley are closed as firefighters battle the blaze.

New Fire in Camarillo

9:22 a.m.: A two-acre brush fire has ignited in Camarillo off of Laguna and Hueneme roads, according to the Ventura County Fire Department. 

Officials said the fire broke out around 8:30 a.m. and is burning in "medium brush with a rapid rate of spread."

An evacuation order has been issued for Cal State University, Channel Islands and University Glen. 

The Source: Information for this story is from the Ventura County Fire Department and SoCal Edison Company.

WildfiresCamarilloVentura CountyInstastoriesOxnard