Auto Fire Joins List of California Blazes

Firefighters are tracking a new blaze in Southern California, the Auto fire, which began burning Monday evening in Ventura County, northwest of downtown Los Angeles.

As of 4 a.m. Eastern time on Tuesday, it had spread to 56 acres and was 0 percent contained, although its progress had been stopped, according to Cal Fire.

The fire’s name comes from its origin, near Auto Center Drive in the city of Ventura, about 60 miles from downtown Los Angeles. It is significantly smaller than the major fires that have been burning in the Los Angeles area over the past week, the 23,000-acre Palisades fire and the 14,000-acre Eaton fire.

The Auto fire appears to have erupted in the Santa Clara River bottom. The Ventura County Fire Department said that the blaze “was confined to the river bottom, and no structures were threatened,” adding that its cause was under investigation.

There were no immediate reports of injuries caused by the Auto fire. But with winds picking up throughout Southern California, officials have warned that the risk of new fires forming or existing ones spreading will be high for the next few days.

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