585-Acre Fire Near Ojai Contained

A brush fire that burned 585 acres on the northern edge of Ojai was contained Thursday morning, but firefighters did not expect to have it out until this evening.

Although the fire came within 10 feet of expensive houses, it caused no damage to structures and will probably protect Ojai’s north side from future fires, said Paula Martinez, a spokeswoman for the California Department of Forestry.

“They have a natural field break right behind them,” Martinez said. The charred area extends across the entire northern edge of Ojai, from Foothill Road to Gridley Road.

Several hundred firefighters from the Department of Forestry and other agencies were still assigned to the fire Thursday afternoon, down from almost 700 at the height of the blaze midday Wednesday. Almost all of the hilly brushland that burned is in Los Padres National Forest.

Firefighters said the fire began about 5 p.m. Tuesday when Southern California Edison Co. equipment short-circuited, causing sparks that ignited dry brush. An Edison spokesman said the company is investigating the matter.

Martinez said she could not gauge the environmental effect of the blaze but that she doubted it was significant.

“It will come back much more rapidly than if it was timber,” she said. “There’s not much timber lost here.”