An electric vehicle caught fire in Ojai on Saturday, prompting evacuation and shelter-in-place orders in a nearby residential area. The vehicle, the maker of which not identified, caught fire due to thermal runway, according to the fire department. Thermal runway, a “challenging and hazardous condition,” is a process that occurs when a battery uncontrollably reaches high temperatures incredibly quickly. The department said the safest approach to such a blaze is to let it burn in a controlled environment. Direct extinguishment can exacerbate the fire, authorities said. The orders were expected to last about 3 hours.