THOUSAND OAKS : 8 Left Homeless as Fire Nearly Destroys House

An elderly woman and a toddler were among eight Thousand Oaks residents left homeless Tuesday after a fire nearly destroyed their rental house.

No one was hurt in the fire, which began about 8 a.m. and took firefighters an hour to extinguish, a county fire spokeswoman said.

Residents in the house at 1375 Whitecliff Road were alerted to the fire by neighbors, who saw smoke billowing from an attached garage, the spokeswoman said.

The cause of the fire was undetermined late Tuesday, she said.

The four-bedroom house was occupied by Carmelita Astadan, 58, and her husband, Antolin, 68, Filipino natives who emigrated to the United States eight years ago.

Also living in the house were the couple’s sons, Jon, 23, and June, 26; their daughter, Carina, 25; Carina’s 18-month-old daughter, Genee Haraway; Leonor Vasquez, 76, whose daughter owns the property, and Ronald Carino, 30, a family friend.

June Astadan is visiting family members in the Philippines and was not home when the fire started, Carmelita Astadan said.

Hours after the flames were extinguished, Carmelita Astadan still appeared dazed as she and other family members surveyed the charred remains of their belongings. A mattress, small cabinet, Rolodex file blackened by soot and some soiled clothing were among the few salvageable items.

Despite the family’s loss, Carmelita Astadan was thankful everyone escaped without injury.

“I’m not thinking of those things that got burned,” she said. “I’m thanking the Lord that no one got hurt.”

Karen Jensen, who lives next door to the family, noticed smoke billowing from the garage as she walked outside to say goodby to a relative.

“I went over and started pounding on the door and screaming for them to get out,” Jensen said. “They just got out with their bathrobes on.”

The Red Cross found rooms for the displaced residents at the Econo Lodge in Thousand Oaks. The agency also provided them with vouchers for food, clothing, shoes and some bedding, said Brian Bolton, executive director of the Ventura County chapter of the American Red Cross.

Carmelita said the family’s first priority will be to find new housing in Thousand Oaks, where most of the family members work. Petsy Paculan, a family friend who owns the Whitecliff Road house and rented it to the Astadans for $900 a month, said she is not sure if she will rebuild.

Firefighters estimated $80,000 in damage to the structure and $50,000 worth of belongings destroyed.