Crews are “aggressively attacking” a brush fire covering the hills behind the campus of CSU Channel Islands near Camarillo on Thursday morning, authorities confirmed.
The blaze, named the Laguna Fire, was reported just before 9 a.m. According to the Ventura County Fire Department, it spanned about 15 acres by 9:54 a.m.
The department initially said the fire was spreading at a rapid rate of speed. Luckily, conditions allowed crews to attack it from the air, and firefighters were working to mitigate any potential threats to structures on the ground.
The CSU Channel Islands campus was given mandatory evacuation orders, although authorities said it wasn’t under immediate threat. Nearby Potrero Road is closed.
About 100 firefighters were on the scene by 9:15 a.m.
The National Weather Service said that winds in the area were gusting as fast as 35 to 45 miles per hour.
No additional details, including a possible cause, were immediately made available.