Firefighters respond to blazes burning in Oak Park, Saticoy

Two fires erupted Thursday evening in opposite ends of Ventura County.

The first, a brush fire in Oak Park, started around 5:30 p.m., and a second in Saticoy, between Ventura and Santa Paula, ignited around 6 p.m. in a 20-foot high pile of crushed vehicles. By dark, both blazes were largely out or under control.

Firefighters quickly stopped the forward progress of the Oak Park brush fire. The two-alarm fire ignited near Rockfield Street and Hawthorne Drive in the Oak Park area, on the eastern edge of Ventura County. Called the Rockfield Fire, it was later mapped at 2 acres.

Meanwhile, dozens of firefighters responded around 6 p.m. to a large rubbish fire burning in Saticoy. A pile of crushed cars was on fire and sending large plumes of black smoke into the air, according to initial reports.

No evacuations had been ordered related to the blaze on the property in the 1900 block of Lirio Avenue, authorities said.

Andy VanSciver, a spokesperson for Ventura County Fire Department, said Friday that the fire was out but there was no information on a cause, which will take weeks or months to investigate. He had no information on an estimated damage amount.

The fire occurred at Standard Industries, a recycling services company located at 1905 Lirio Ave. Joseph Scheck, who answered Standard Industries' phone Friday morning, said that "everything is under control ... everything is done." He declined to answer further questions.

Firefighters planned to monitor the site throughout the day as the company, which is open, moves materials around to make sure the fire does not restart, VanSciver said.

To battle the blaze Thursday evening, crews worked defensively and set up aerial ladders to contain and extinguish the flames, the fire department said in a social media post. County fire Capt. Brian McGrath said by phone there was no reason to put firefighters in harm's way to battle the blaze.

Earlier in Oak Park, authorities had reported the Rockfield Fire had the potential to pose a threat to structures. But crews quickly made good progress and some air units were called off.

Firefighters had stopped forward progress of the blaze by 7 p.m., McGrath said in a social media post. Crews were continuing to douse hot spots and work on containment.

McGrath later said by phone that some firefighters were stung by bees but none were transported. The cause of the fire was under investigation.

Staff writer Wes Woods II contributed to this report .

This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Firefighters respond to blazes burning in Oak Park, Saticoy