update..live pictures on Fox did indeed show the fire only about 50 feet from oil wells...
Images, Video Coming Up
The blaze was reported around 3:30 a.m. in the School Canyon area between Ventura and Ojai, about 60 miles northwest of Los Angeles, according to a Ventura County Fire Department dispatcher who said he was not authorized to give his name. The exact location where the fire was first reported was School Canyon Road and Ventura Avenue, just north of the city of Ventura.
The fire was burning in a hilly, rocky area near Highway 33 that contains numerous oil pumps, said Joe Luna, a spokesman for the Ventura County Fire Department. About 200 firefighters were battling the blaze, which was whipped by winds gusting to 33 mph, he said.
Fire crews were positioned to protect surrounding neighborhoods but homes were not immediately threatened and no evacuations had been ordered by 6 a.m., he said. Flames were burning away from residential areas, he said.
At least one building had burned, apparently on an oil field, according to television footage.
Water-dropping helicopters were preparing to join the fight at daybreak if wind conditions permitted, Luna said. Investigators were on scene but hadn't yet determined a cause, he said.
The area is under a red flag warning, which advises of warm, windy and dry conditions that could lead to explosive fire growth.
http://www.nbc4.tv/weather/5354127/detail.html