An evacuation order has been issued for a part of northern Ventura County following a brush fire breaking out near the community of Somis. 

Ventura County Fire Department officials are working to contain the brush fire, named the “South Fire,” which broke out on Saturday at around 9:37 a.m. The fire started near a radio tower just west of South Mountain. 

An evacuation order was issued for: 

• North of East La Loma Avenue and West La Loma Avenue 
• South of East Los Angeles Avenue 
• East of Aggen Road 
• West of La Vista Avenue 
• Mission Rock Road area off Highway 126 at Briggs

Saticoy Country Club Area

• North: Santa Clara River
• South and West: West Los Angeles Avenue
• East: La Vista Avenue

An evacuation warning was issued for:

• S. Mission Rock Road Area, Santa Paula
• North: Hwy 126
• South: Santa Clara River
• East: S. Briggs Road

By 4 p.m., the blaze had grown to 800 acres and by 6:30 p.m., the flames had spread to around 2,444 acres, most of which was burning on the south side and the ridgeline of South Mountain. The fire remains at zero percent containment as gusty winds continue blowing.

The following roads have been closed due to the fire:

• West Los Angeles Avenue north towards West La Loma Ave
• La Vista Avenue
• Walnut Avenue
• Price Road
• Aggen Road

“Please use alternate routes and avoid traveling on State Route 118 west of Moorpark in the Somis area,” Caltrans District 7 said on X, formerly Twitter.

Charles Tuel had just finished work on Saturday morning when he arrived at his home in Somis only to be met with smoke and flames. 

“I got a phone call that said we’re being evacuated so I grabbed whatever I had,” Tuel recalled. “It’s almost crazy when you see the birds all flying at you. You know something is wrong.”

According to the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department’s emergency incident dashboard, up to 45,000 people could be affected by Public Safety Power Shutoffs as the wind event continues through the weekend. 

“This a wind-driven fire, very similar to the 2019 Maria Fire,” explained Andy Visciver with the Ventura County Fire Department. “We’re fortunate enough that it’s still burning within that burn footprint, and we expect to be able to contain it to that burn footprint.”

More than 300 firefighters from departments across the area joined in to battle the blaze. Once the sun set, firefighters had to readjust their strategy.

“Fortunately, the wind has started to die down a little bit,” Visciver said. “We are engaging on the ground and in the air with our helicopters. The helicopters have night vision goggles that allow us to fight the fire at night.”

While the flames are burning in a mostly remote mountainous area, there are evacuation orders in place for several homes in the area.

A temporary evacuation post has been set up at Ventura Community College located at 4667 Telegraph Road in Ventura where evacuees can access food and safe shelter there.

Tuel, who hopes his home will still be standing when the flames are extinguished, will be seeking shelter at the evacuation post.

“The Red Cross is really taking care of us,” Tuel said. “The Salvation Army is taking care of us. Everybody’s coming together.”

The massive brush fire comes during a period of exceptionally high winds; the National Weather Service has issued a Red Flag Warning for much of SoCal until Sunday.

Residents can stay up-to-date with current evacuations, the latest road closures and more on the county’s emergency website. Anyone with questions can call the Incident Information Hotline at 805-465-6650.