Authorities said a traffic collision ignited the Buena Fire, which burned over 5 acres Aug. 7 in the Santa Monica Mountains near the Ventura-Los Angeles county line.
The blaze was reported a little past 5 p.m. in the 14000 block of Yerba Buena Road, according to the Ventura County Fire Department.
The fire ignited after a vehicle crashed into an embankment off Yerba Buena Road and caught on fire, said Officer Jason Plunkett of the California Highway Patrol.
The male driver was unharmed and got out of the car before the fire started, the officer said. There were no other passengers in the vehicle.
The vehicle was registered to a Santa Rosa Valley area address, Plunkett said.
The winding road passes through the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, which has hundreds of miles of hiking trails.
The vehicle was engulfed in flames, and the road was closed until about 8 p.m. as firefighters battled the fire, the officer said.
The Holser Fire in Piru that burned 167 acres Aug. 8 is also under investigation, said Andy VanSciver, spokesperson for county fire.
The Holser fire ignited near the California Tactical Academy in Holser Canyon near Lake Piru. The academy is a 1,500-acre shooting range.
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This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Crash ignites Buena Fire in Ventura County’s Santa Monica Mountains
Reporting by Staff reports, Ventura County Star / Ventura County Star
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By Staff reports, Ventura County Star | USA TODAY Network
