3 East County Brush Fires Burn 5 Acres; No Damage, Injuries

Three east county brush fires--two in Thousand Oaks and one in Simi Valley--burned less than five acres Wednesday but had county fire crews on their toes through much of the day and evening.

No structures were threatened and no firefighters were injured, but all three fires are under investigation, a county fire spokesman said.

The first blaze broke out at 1:40 p.m. in the Newbury Park area of Thousand Oaks. The fire at Academy Drive and Marion Street burned through about two acres of cactus and brush before being extinguished.

The rush-hour commute through California 23 in Thousand Oaks got even thicker when a waft of smoke was cast by a two-acre fire near Conejo Creek Park. The fire broke out near the intersection of Combes Avenue and Paige Lane at 5:23 p.m. and was doused within the hour.

Then at 7:43 p.m., a hilltop fire in Simi Valley consumed about an acre of brush near the intersection of Fitzgerald Road and Sequoia Avenue. The fire was extinguished by 9:45 p.m., fire officials said.