THOUSAND OAKS : Fire Damages 3 Townhouses
A fire caused $130,000 in damage to three townhouses in Thousand Oaks on Thursday before firefighters could extinguish the blaze.
Fire officials said the blaze began about 10 a.m. in an upstairs bedroom at 286 Via Colinas and quickly spread to two other townhouses through a common attic. It was extinguished more than an hour later.
Damage to the three homes was estimated at $100,000. About $30,000 in contents was also lost. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
David Oseasa, 31, whose townhouse was severely damaged, said he was in the shower when the fire started. Oseasa said he did not notice smoke until he saw fire trucks rolling up to his house.
Fire crews had to break through Oseasa’s red-tiled roof and pull down interior ceilings and walls to get at smoldering chunks of wood inside the residence.
Officials said they were concerned that burning embers could spread to dry, brush-covered hills only a few hundred feet away.
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