A 600-acre brush fire burning in Ventura County Thursday afternoon triggered evacuations in and around Piru and put nearby communities in the Santa Clarita Valley on high alert amid a major heat wave that officials warn could foster extreme fire growth and behavior .

The Canyon fire broke out around 2 p.m. near Holser Canyon Road, northeast of Piru — a small, unincorporated town not far from Castaic Junction, where Interstate 5 meets Highway 126, according to Ventura County officials. The fire was initially reported to be about 30 acres, but within an hour that estimate had jumped to 600 acres, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

Both the Ventura and Los Angeles County fire departments were responding to the scene.

The fire was growing rapidly as o

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