An electric vehicle caught fire in Ojai on Saturday, prompting evacuation and shelter-in-place orders in a nearby residential area.
According to the Ventura County Fire Department, firefighters were at the scene of the blaze by 10:22 a.m., in the 11600 block of Ventura Avenue.
The vehicle, the maker of which not identified, caught fire due to thermal runway, according to the fire department. Thermal runway, a “challenging and hazardous condition,” is a process that occurs when a battery uncontrollably reaches high temperatures incredibly quickly.
The department said the safest approach to such a blaze is to let it burn in a controlled environment. Direct extinguishment can exacerbate the fire, authorities said.
While crews let the fire burn out, mandatory evacuation orders were issued to residents on the South side of Cruzero Street, from Baldwin Road to Loma Drive, according to Ventura County.
Shelter in-place orders were issued to residents on the north side of Orchard Drive, from West Villanova Road to Orchard Drive.
The orders were expected to last about 3 hours.
