The so-called Easy Fire began shortly after 6 a.m. near the 200 block of West Los Angeles Avenue. Homes in nearby residential neighborhoods were immediately threatened by the flames, even after winds initially seemed to be blowing the fire in a direction away from houses.
Helicopters were seen performing water drops on the blaze while at least one fixed-wing aircraft dropped a payload of Phos-Chek.
Firefighters raced to protect the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library as a thin wall of flames approached from a nearby hillside. The facility was closed Wednesday.
Mandatory evacuation orders were issued for an area bounded by Tierra Rejada to the north, Madera Road to the east, Olsen / Madera Road to the south and Highway 23 to the west, according to an alert from the Ventura County Fire Department.
An evacuation shelter was established at the Thousand Oaks Community Center at 2525 N. Moorpark Road.
There were no immediate reports of injuries or structural damages.
MAP: Easy Fire evacuation zone
The cause of the fire was unknown.
The incident forced the California Highway Patrol to close California 23 (the Moorpark Freeway) in both directions between Avenida de los Arboles and Los Angeles Avenue.
All campuses in nearly a dozen school districts were closed Wednesday, as were several other educational facilities in the area, according to the Ventura County Office of Education.
Santa Ana winds were expected to reach speeds of 40-50 mph in the burn area on Wednesday, with gusts of up to 60 mph on ridgetops, the National Weather Service said. Single-digit humidity was forecasted throughout the day.
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