OJAI : Flames Destroy Single-Family House
A fire in Ojai that could be seen for miles burned a house to the ground Tuesday night, leaving only the brick chimney standing, authorities said.
The wooden single-family house at 3130 E. Ojai Ave. was valued at $150,000, and its contents at $75,000, Ventura County Fire Department spokesman Bill Nash said. Tom and Mary Kiddie, who live in Long Beach, own the house, he said.
A next-door neighbor, Lynn Brookhouser, said she saw the fire’s glow from her house and called the Fire Department. She then turned on her garden hose to put out flames in the vegetation between her home and the fire.
The Fire Department received the call at 6:30 p.m., and the blaze was contained by 7:11 p.m., Nash said. The nearest fire hydrant was 1,000 feet away, at the bottom of the steep, narrow road. Even after the house was burned down, the natural gas line to the house continued to burn because firefighters could not turn it off, officials said.
Dwayne Boccali, owner of Boccali’s Restaurant, also went to investigate when he saw the fire across the street. He said his patrons dining outside were silhouetted by the flames.
Neighbors and the Kiddies’ son, who lives in Ojai, said workers had been replacing a wooden deck Tuesday afternoon.
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