SIMI VALLEY : Arson Suspected in 2nd Blaze at Vons
Ventura County fire officials on Saturday were investigating the second arson in less than six weeks at a Vons grocery store in Simi Valley.
Friday’s fire at the store, 660 E. Los Angeles Ave., damaged the same storeroom where a June 3 fire occurred, officials said.
About 150 people were evacuated from the store shortly after 8 p.m. when the fire started, store manager Dean Little said.
The fire was contained by sprinklers, and the store reopened by about 9:30 p.m., Little and fire officials said.
Damage, limited to the 20-by-50-foot storage area, was estimated at $36,000, including the loss of about $30,000 in goods and damage to the roof, where firefighters broke through to allow smoke to escape, officials said.
The June fire caused about $77,000 in damage in the same area, officials said.
Little said store officials had some ideas about who may have set the blazes and are taking extra precautions to prevent another fire, including increasing security.
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