SIMI VALLEY : 2-Alarm Fire Set by Candle Destroys Condo

A two-alarm fire sparked by a candle destroyed one Simi Valley condominium and damaged three others early Friday, authorities said.

The fire broke out about 11:25 p.m. Thursday when a candle in a first-floor condo at 2057 Calle La Sombra tipped over and ignited a couch. When firefighters arrived six minutes later, they found the condo in flames.

As flames spread to the second story, firefighters punched holes in the roof to ventilate the building and wet down the second story. A total of 31 firefighters worked until about 1 a.m. Friday to put out the blaze, a county fire dispatcher said.

At the time of the fire, only two of the building’s four units were occupied. One boy, whose name is unknown, suffered first- and second-degree burns on his hand.

On Friday, a Simi Valley building inspector surveyed the damage and posted a “limited entry” sign at the beige stucco and brick-facade building.

“With the structural damage from the fire, if a tremor hit it could fall,” said William Blackmon, 29, who owns one of the upstairs units but was not home during the fire. “It’s uninhabitable.”

Blackmon said his two-bedroom condo was not burned but has several holes in the roof.

“Wet insulation is just stuck to everything,” he said.

Blackmon said power had been cut off to the unit where the fire began. All but one of the renters had already moved out, he said, and the remaining person was using a candle Thursday night for light.