Local News in Brief : Man Found Dead in His Burning House

A man was found dead Sunday in his burning Thousand Oaks home, apparently by suicide, authorities said.

The fire in the 1000 block of Camino Dos Rios broke out about 9:45 a.m., and firefighters who responded found the man already dead in a back bedroom, a Ventura County Sheriff’s Department spokesman said. The victim’s name was withheld pending notification of his family.

The cause of the fire, which was extinguished by 10:25 a.m., was determined to be arson, said Ventura County Fire Department dispatcher Rhonda Roller.

The fire had several points of origin and appeared to have been set to release over time, she said.

“We’d go in and get one area out, and then it would start up in another area,” Roller said. “I think it was meant to be that way.”

Authorities declined to say whether the man died as a result of the fire or by some other means. Police and fire officials said the arson was under investigation.

The loss of the house and its contents was estimated at $100,000, Roller said.