No Homes Burn : Blaze Chars 800 Acres in Simi Valley

A fast-moving brush fire in western Simi Valley burned about 800 acres and threatened an estimated 100 houses Monday, but caused no damage nor injuries before being contained by Ventura County firefighters in about five hours.

The fire began about 12:45 p.m. at Tierra Rejada Road and spread rapidly toward the southeast through the dry, hilly area bounded by Madera and Olsen roads near Thousand Oaks, Ventura County Fire Inspector Russ Cole said. It was contained about 6 p.m., he said.

The cause of the blaze is under investigation, Cole said.

About 140 firefighters from Ventura County and 15 from Los Angeles County battled the blaze, which was fanned by erratic winds from the northwest, Cole said. Two helicopters and two air tankers worked to extinguish flames from overhead, while three bulldozers, 20 engine crews and one 10-man hand crew fought the fire on land, the fire inspector said.

Children Evacuated

Although many homes were threatened, no one was evacuated, Cole said. La Petite Pre-School on Madera Road voluntarily evacuated children to another school at 3 p.m. as a precaution, Cole said.

Most residents of the area calmly hosed down their wood shingle roofs and watched as firefighters started backfires in the brush areas behind their homes in order to control the spread of flames.

“We were looking to protect the homes nearest the hills by burning out the unburned brush about 40 to 50 feet from homes,” said Battalion Chief Dick Perry.

Last month the Fire Department had cleared away some of the brush behind many of the homes along the base of the hills, which aided the firefighters’ efforts Monday afternoon, Cole said.

“The fire was really smoky and covered a lot of area, but it really didn’t do much,” Cole said. “It burned around the homes.”