Downed Electrical Lines Spark Brush Fire

Ventura County firefighters battled a stubborn 100-acre brush fire in Point Mugu State Park late Friday that began after high winds knocked down electrical lines in a canyon area south of Thousand Oaks.

The fire began about 1:15 p.m. and was 20% contained by late evening, said Joe Luna, spokesman for the Ventura County Fire Department.

A travel trailer and a horse maintenance building were destroyed in the blaze, Luna said. About 160 firefighters from Ventura and Los Angeles counties and other agencies were called to the scene, Luna said.

The heavy winds, which had died down by early evening, were expected to kick up again later, and firefighters planned to “work late into the night,” Luna said. Several crews were on hand with chainsaws, axes and shovels to cut away vegetation that might spread the fire.

“We’re not out of the woods yet,” Luna said.

The winds roared at times at more than 40 mph and stymied containment efforts. “The only thing in our favor today is that it’s not very hot,” Luna said.