Brush fire breaks out in Newbury Park

A brush fire broke out in Newbury Park Wednesday along southbound Highway 101, jamming traffic for hours near Ventu Park Road.

The Ventu Fire, as it was called, was reported shortly before 2:50 p.m. on the south side of the 101, near Ventu Park and Newbury roads, according to Ventura County Fire Department reports.

Initial reports from the scene pegged the fire at about 1 acre.

Fire crews ultimately stopped forward progress before 3:30 p.m., keeping the fire's overall footprint to about an acre, said Andrew Dowd, a fire department engineer-paramedic.

The incident closed freeway ramps and the overpass at Ventu Park Road, the California Highway Patrol reported.

Northbound ramps had reopened by 5:40 p.m.

The right lane of the 101 was also closed as emergency vehicles staged in the area. Some closures were expected to remain until around 7:30 p.m., the CHP indicated.

By 6:15 p.m., southbound traffic remained backed up along the stretch while northbound traffic flowed smoothly.

No injuries were reported and no structures were damaged, Dowd said.

Water-dropping helicopters helped with the firefight from above.

The fire site lacks hydrants, Dowd said, so some crews were involved in a water shuttling operation to bring water to the area.

He credited the quick knockdown to a fast response. The department had engines, hand crews and helicopters fighting the blaze "within minutes," he said.

Dowd said fire crews would remain at the scene mopping up and dousing hot spots for several hours.

The cause was under investigation.

Wednesday's fire follows other recent blazes in Thousand Oaks and east Ventura County.

On July 5, a blaze erupted along southbound Highway 101 near the Highway 23 transition in Thousand Oaks after a vehicle apparently caught fire along the shoulder. The following day, a brush fire broke out near homes off Arroyo View Street in Newbury Park.

On July 3, the Sharp Fire reached 1 3 3 acres as it burned through brush in the Simi Valley area, threatening homes for a time.

The fire season's busy start in Ventura County and elsewhere around the state came amid recent hot weather.

This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Brush fire breaks out in Newbury Park