Fire Burns 50 Acres of Hill Brush : Westlake Village: Two hundred firefighters battle a blaze that threatens 10 homes. Arson is suspected.

A windblown brush fire suspected as arson charred 50 acres of hilly vegetation in Westlake Village on Thursday, threatening about 10 homes in a new housing development near the border of Ventura and Los Angeles counties.

More than 200 firefighters from both counties attacked the blaze, which came within 10 feet of wooden fences along Kirsten Lee Drive in the Three Springs tract before stopping at a firebreak around the property created by weed-clearing programs.

For about two hours, four helicopters clattered overhead dumping water on the flames, while hand crews battled the blaze with hoses and ignited backfires to deprive the fire of fuel. Other firefighters stood ready with hoses to protect the houses.

A Ventura County firefighter was taken to Westlake Medical Center to be examined for a leg injury, but no one else was reported hurt and no homes were damaged, said Sandi Wells, spokeswoman for the Ventura County Fire Department.

The fire, which began about 2:40 p.m., was extinguished by 4:26 p.m., Wells said. Fire crews remained on the blackened terrain for several hours afterward to douse remaining hot spots.

“The cause is arson,” Wells said. “There will be a criminal investigation. There are no suspects at this time.”

Wells said Ventura County and Los Angeles County firefighters controlled the flames swiftly because the first engine companies arrived on the scene within five minutes of receiving a call from the emergency dispatch center.

The neighborhood was spared because of the weed-abatement program and the tile roofs on most of the houses, Wells said.

The fire burned near Lake Eleanor, which is owned by the Conejo Open Space Conservation Agency.

“It was a pretty spectacular fire; it was burning pretty good,” said Dan Dempsey, a park ranger for the agency.

Westlake Boulevard, the western border of the fire, is heavily traveled by motorists on their way to the beach, he said, adding, “You get people driving up and down this highway and kids from Westlake throwing out bottles and cigarette butts.”

Photographer Scott Harrison contributed to this story.