Wind-Fed Fire Destroys 330 Apartments : Thousand Oaks: An errant spark touches off flames that take firefighters seven hours to contain. The complex was still under construction.

A fire sparked by a plumber’s torch raged through 22 luxury apartment buildings in Thousand Oaks on Saturday afternoon, injuring two firefighters and causing at least $7 million damage.

Fed by gusting 25 m.p.h. winds, the blaze erupted shortly before 3 p.m. and quickly consumed 330 of the 544 apartments at The Knolls on Avenida de los Arboles.

About 240 firefighters from Ventura and Los Angeles counties fought the fire into the night.

The fire was contained about 10 p.m., but firefighters didn’t expect to have it out until this morning. Firefighters couldn’t get equipment close enough to two burning apartment houses. “The buildings are too unstable to get people close to them,” said John Wade, Ventura County Fire Department spokesman.

Only charred, smoldering scaffolding remained in portions of the complex where firefighters allowed the blaze to burn itself out while they tried to save other structures. No occupied apartments were destroyed. Some of the apartment buildings were still under construction.

Ventura County Fire Capt. Larry Henry was taken to Los Robles Medical Center suffering from heat exhaustion and smoke inhalation, fire officials said. He was treated and released. An unidentified, off-duty Los Angeles firefighter who lives in Ventura County was also injured in the blaze but was not treated.

Fire investigator Bill Hager said the blaze was ignited on the first floor of a building by a plumber using a torch to solder a piece of plastic pipe.

The plumber realized too late that the flames had raced to the second floor, Hager said. A security guard at the site said the plumber came screaming out of the building to warn him of the spreading blaze, and he contacted the Fire Department.

Fire officials declined to identify the plumber employed by Interstate Plumbing Inc., at the company’s request.

Firefighters struggled to quench the fire from the only two accessible fire hydrants in the complex. Other hydrants were quickly engulfed by the flames, and firefighters were driven back by the searing heat.

“The radiant heat from this fire was unbelievable,” Wade said.

One Ventura County fire captain said his crew had trouble attacking the blaze because of poor water pressure.

When hydrants on hand failed, firefighters set up a modern-day bucket brigade, a “relay” of five or six firetrucks, linked up to pump water from hydrants in a housing complex more than a quarter of a mile from the fire.

Water mains within The Knolls were apparently either broken or shut off, fire engineer Karry Ellison said. Fire officials will investigate whether the mains were broken, or whether they had been shut off while plumbing work was being done, Wade said.

Firefighters were aided by two helicopters that whizzed over the area, dumping water on the flames.

A five-acre brush fire was started southwest of the construction site by embers from the blaze.

Geoffrey L. Stack, president of Regis Homes Corp. in Newport Beach, said the initial damage estimate of $7 million does not include vehicles and construction equipment destroyed in the inferno.

Regis is the contractor and partial owner of the project in partnership with Lang Ranch Co. The entire project is valued at $40 million, Stack said.

Stack declined to comment on any action that might be taken against Interstate Plumbing Inc.

“I think this is an unfortunate thing. It appears to be accidental,” Stack said.

He said he was deeply disappointed. “We have people planning to move in and make this their home.”

Bill Green, manager of Lang Ranch Co., said: “We’ll clean it up, and get it built as soon as we can.”

Officials said the fire was one of the biggest structure fires to hit the eastern part of the county in more than 16 years.

“It’s a big loss. It’s a real big loss,” Wade said.

County Supervisor Madge L. Schaefer said she saw thick black smoke curling above the hills near her Thousand Oaks home and raced to the scene.

“I don’t think there’s been a fire in Thousand Oaks with this kind of destruction in 16 years,” Schaefer said.

The apartments destroyed in the blaze were touted by the developer’s promotional brochures as a resort-like complex with racquetball and tennis courts, spas, swimming pools and saunas. None of the recreational facilities were destroyed in the fire, fire officials said.

Chris Kleiner, a secretary for Regis Homes Corp., who raced to the fire when it began, said construction on the project began in January. The complex was to open for occupancy on Nov. 19.

Kleiner said about 80 units had been rented for $700 to $1,200 a month.

Despite roadblocks set up by authorities, the blaze drew hundreds of bystanders. Some hiked and bicycled over hills to watch the flames and billowing smoke.

Fire officials did not evacuate nearby residences. At one point as the fire threatened to race over dry hills south of the development, firefighters considered evacuating a home for cerebral palsy patients in the North Ranch area of Thousand Oaks.

The fire was so hot it melted firefighting equipment on fire engines, Ventura County Fire Capt. Keith Mashburn said. One engine had to be sent back to its station because of heat damage.

“This is the kind of fire that needed tremendous amount of water,” Mashburn said.

Fire officials said the fire was able to consume unprotected wood on half-finished homes. Some of the apartments escaped destruction because they were protected by tile roofs.

Times staff writer Amy Louise Kazmin contributed to this story.