12-Hour Fire Destroys Crate Warehouse North of Oxnard

A spectacular fire Tuesday destroyed a warehouse just north of Oxnard filled with wax-coated cardboard strawberry crates.

The fire produced billowing black smoke visible over much of the county.

The fire, which apparently started near wooden pallets stacked in the warehouse on Montgomery Avenue near Vineyard Avenue, was already burning to the ceiling of the structure by the time firefighters arrived, said Chief John Asselin of the Ventura County Fire Department.

The blaze took almost 12 hours to extinguish because the walls of the 20,000-square-foot corrugated steel structure collapsed shortly after firefighters arrived, trapping hundreds of green plastic strawberry containers and wax-coated cardboard boxes, Asselin said.

“Primarily the waxes and plastics were causing it to burn with great intensity,” Asselin said.

No injuries were reported, said Fire Department spokesman Jim Renshaw.

Nine engines, three trucks and nearly 60 firefighters battled the three-alarm blaze at its height about 3:30 a.m., Asselin said. A strike team of five additional engines was also called to the scene, firefighters said.

In addition, firefighters summoned the county’s hazardous materials unit because of a potential hazard from propane stored in a nearby warehouse, Asselin said. However, firefighters were able to contain the blaze, he said.

Fred Ferro, a general partner for Seacoast Associates, owners of the warehouse, said the building was leased to two firms, DP Enterprises, a company that stored vegetables and flowers for shipping, and the Bryant Roofing Co. Ferro had no dollar estimate of damage, but said the building was “a total loss.”

Several warehouse employees were near the building when the fire started, Renshaw said. One employee attempted to put out the blaze with a fire hose before the Fire Department was called, officials said.

The cause of the blaze was under investigation, Renshaw said.