Apache Fire in Ventura County burns 1,550 acres, homes under mandatory evacuations

A wildfire in Ventura County has burned through 1,552 acres, leading to the evacuation of nearby homes.

The Apache Fire was reported at 6:32 p.m. Tuesday in a northwestern area of Ventura County, in Central California's Cuyama Valley, and had grown to 250 acres with 0% containment by 10 p.m., according to VC Emergency. 

Over the next day, the blaze continued to spread and reached 1,500 acres with containment still at 0% by 8 a.m. Thursday, according to Los Padres National Forest, one of the agencies battling and tracking it. 

Later, by 7 p.m., it was estimated to be 1,552 acres by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection or Cal Fire.

The starting point of the fire was on the east end of Highway 33, also known as the Maricopa Highway, just north of Apache Canyon Road, authorities said. Images show huge, thick plumes of smoke floating through mountain areas, with a trail of bright red flames running through the shrubbery.

Homes along Apache Canyon Road were evacuated by sheriff's officials Tuesday night as firefighters from the Ventura County Fire Department and Los Padres National Forest worked together to put out the blaze. At 10:30 p.m., the county's fire department said firefighters would be "working throughout the night trying to keep the fire within Apache Canyon."

The mandatory evacuation order issued at 9 p.m. remained in place by noon the next day, with five homes threatened in the area which is about 30 miles northeast of Ojai, authorities said. 

As of 7 p.m. Thursday, that order is still in place and there has also been an evacuation of the area around Burges Canyon and Quail Springs. Evacuation warnings, letting residents know they can leave voluntarily or be prepared to do so if conditions worsen, are in place for Corral Canyon and the area of Round Springs Canyon and Castle Canyon.

A heat wave was forecasted to last Tuesday through Thursday, particularly within some inland parts of Southern California, according to the National Weather Service, which reported temperatures around the blaze were in the mid-90s at noon Wednesday. 

The latest on evacuation orders and warnings can be found here. Those affected can find information on emergency resources and other updates here.