Local News in Brief : Faulty Clothes Dryer Blamed in School Fire
A faulty clothes dryer in a home economics classroom at Thousand Oaks High School started a fire there that caused $300,000 in damage, Ventura County fire officials said Thursday.
The 13-year-old gas dryer caught fire at 5:40 p.m. Wednesday and the blaze spread through the school’s “C” wing, Capt. Dan Spykerman said. The dryer’s air vent was filled with lint, blocking air flow and causing the lint to ignite, he said.
The home economics classroom was destroyed, two other classrooms were badly damaged and eight other rooms had smoke and water damage, Spykerman said. He estimated the structural loss at $250,000 and damage to contents at $50,000. The blaze was brought under control at 8 p.m., he said.
The wing, built in 1962, is one of 11 buildings on the 55-acre campus at Moorpark Road and Avenida de las Flores, Principal James Roulsten said. Classes have been reassigned until the wing can be cleaned up and repairs made, he said.
Major repairs to the three heavily damaged rooms probably will not be completed until next year, Roulsten said.
More to Read
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
