A brush fire was quickly moving across parts of Southern California on Thursday, spurring evacuations of the area as fire officials worked to put out the blaze.

The Canyon Fire broke out on Thursday afternoon east of Lake Piru in Ventura County, earlier estimated at about 50 acres, before spreading to more than 1,000, according to fire officials.

The fire began burning north of Highway 126 east of Los Angeles County before it later spread into the county, officials said.

More than 4,400 wildfires have been reported in California this year. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

More than 4,400 wildfires have been reported in California this year, an increase from 3,800 at this time last year, according to NBC 4. More than 221,100 acres have burned this year, exceeding the 83,200 acres burned through July of last year.