Firefighters were battling a blaze that had moved west of Piru toward Fillmore on Sunday night, burning at least 6,000 acres and triggering evacuations.

As of 9 p.m. Sunday, the fire had no containment.

The fire, which began Saturday near Castaic Lake, was north of Lake Piru in an area known as Blue Point Campground by early Sunday evening, said Nick Cleary, Ventura County Fire Department information officer.

The department recommended that residents of evacuate several canyon areas, including Piru, Holser and Dominguez. There were also precautionary evacuations for homes in Fillmore and Piru that bordered on wilderness areas, Cleary said.

"It's crossed the county line," Cleary said. "They're concerned that it could burn toward Fillmore, Piru and Santa Paula."

A Red Cross shelter had been set up at Fillmore Veterans Memorial Building at 511 Second St. The city set up an emergency operations center at City Hall.

Carol Rogers, a Red Cross volunteer, was cautiously optimistic.

"Any fire worries me, but I have a lot of faith in our Fire Department," she said.

Livestock was being taken to the Ventura County Fairgrounds, with small animals sent to the Ventura County Animal Shelter in Camarillo.

Cleary said that no injuries had been reported and that it was impossible to tell if any structures had been damaged because the fire was in inaccessible areas.

Area residents said they were wary but not yet alarmed.

"I feel very uncomfortable but safe," said Janet Bergamo, president of the Piru Neighborhood Council. "It's very disturbing. I had a tree blow down in my yard. It missed my car by an inch."

Many people were already leaving the area, and Ventura County sheriff's deputies were in Piru telling people to be ready to evacuate.

"I'm worried," Richard Jimenez said as he stood on Main Street as winds whipped store signs and bent trees Sunday.

Jimenez, 22, said he'd gone to Lake Piru. "There were flames, and it looked like it was coming down pretty quick," he said.

Jimenez lives with his mother, who has already left the area. Jimenez said he'd heard that the fire had jumped Piru Dam. "I'm going to stay until they tell me to leave," he said.

Thomas Rodriguez, a custodian at Piru School, held up a phone so that a reporter could hear the wind whistling at gale force. He said he had seen about eight fire engines and a bulldozer go by, but also noted that things actually looked better late Sunday afternoon than earlier in the day.

At least 1,000 firefighters were working the fire in efforts coordinated by the Ventura and Los Angeles county fire departments and the U.S. Forest Service. Helicopter tankers dropped water and hand crews also were at work.

Cleary said people in Fillmore and Piru should be clearing brush from around their homes and organizing their exit strategies.

"Just be ready," he said, noting that Sunday's rash of fires had created a juggling act for fire departments.

"We're bouncing resources around from fire to fire as needed," Cleary said.

Richard Mewherter, who works at Piru Market and Liquor Store, said he couldn't see fire on the ridge, so he was staying put for the time being.

"If I see flames, then I am going to get in my truck and leave," said Mewherter, who acknowledged that there was a mood of alertness in Piru. "Things change quick. I've never seen wind this bad, and I was born and raised in California," the 68-year-old Piru resident said.

Ventura County Fire Capt. Barry Parker said fire threats throughout the county would remain high as long as the Santa Ana winds continued to blow. The gusts are expected to continue today, and conditions will be ever drier.

"Expect conditions to be the same if not worse," he said.