SIMI VALLEY : Health Food Store Damaged by Fire
Fire caused more than $162,000 damage to a health food store in Simi Valley early Tuesday, officials said.
The blaze, at Ye Olde Mill Natural Foods Store in the 6600 block of Santa Susana Pass Road, started shortly after 1 a.m., a Ventura County Fire Department spokeswoman said.
It took nearly 30 firefighters half an hour to contain the blaze because a back draft, in which flames are fueled by wind blowing through the building, made the fire difficult to fight.
Investigators blamed a faulty light in the kitchen for sparking the blaze.
Damage to the store’s contents was estimated at $112,500, an employee said, with $50,000 damage to the building.
Store owner George Wight, known locally for the distilled water that he makes and sells, said auxiliary power supplies will enable him to continue selling the water.
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