Donations Flow In for Family Hurt in Fire : Investigation: Officials cautiously consider arson as a possible cause in Ojai blaze. They plan to re-interview family members in an attempt to reconcile physical evidence with accounts from witnesses.

Donations poured in Wednesday for a family whose Ojai Valley home was destroyed by fire, but investigators said they are moving cautiously in determining whether the fire was deliberately set.

Although still looking at the fire as a possible arson, investigators said they plan to re-interview family members to try to resolve differences between the witnesses’ account of the blaze and physical evidence gathered at the scene.

“The fire patterns don’t match up with what the witnesses are stating,” said Nina Raya, a spokeswoman for the Ventura County Fire Department. “What (investigators) are doing right now is re-evaluating the witnesses.

“They want to make sure they’re telling the truth,” she said, adding that investigators so far have not ruled out any possible causes of the blaze.

Also on Wednesday, an FBI agent interviewed at least one of the victims. The FBI’s involvement came after a call by the Ventura County NAACP Tuesday to investigate potential civil rights violations. The agent declined to discuss details of the interview.

Lonnie Stanford and other members of his family, who are African American, said they are convinced that the fire--which injured three people--was an arson attack motivated by racial hatred.

“I can’t prove anything, but holes don’t get there by themselves,” said Stanford, referring to what he told investigators was a hole in his living room window moments before the fire engulfed his house.

“All I know is (the fire) didn’t start in the house,” said Lonnie Stanford’s wife, Winnie, who was treated for smoke inhalation.

As for discrepancies cited by arson investigators, Stanford said: “I’m not a fire inspector. All we’re doing is saying what we saw, and we hope they can determine what really went on.”

Property owner Robert M. Featherston, a former insurance company investigator for 12 years, also said the fire was deliberately set.

“It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure it out,” said Featherston, who on Tuesday was one of the first people to offer the family help. “I knew it was a hate crime.”

The Stanfords have been relocated to an Ojai motel by the American Red Cross until they find a temporary place to live. But they vowed Wednesday to rebuild the charred Grande Vista Street home.

Meanwhile, donations to the family of cash and clothing were piling up at a number of Ojai Valley firehouses.

More than 50 sacks of clothing had been dropped off at fire stations by late Wednesday.

Typical of the cash donations was a $100 bill that an unidentified man handed to Fire Investigator Norman Plott as others were gathering up the gifts.

“I’m just amazed at the public response,” Plott said. “The generosity has been unbelievable.”

The blaze, which caused $150,000 in damage, broke out about 4 a.m. Tuesday near the living room of the Stanfords’ leased home in Oak View. Family members said they first heard “a big pop,” then discovered flames roiling through the house.

But a trained dog failed to sniff out incendiary devices or other potential sources of fuel, in part prompting investigators to re-examine the Stanfords’ statements.

The blaze occurred within a few weeks of a request by 13-year-old Shuwana Stanford to graduate with her former classmates at Matilija Junior High School in Ojai. She withdrew from courses in January in favor of a home-schooling program after she was targeted by a series of racial threats at the school.

Shuwana, the most seriously injured with first- and second-degree burns about her head and face, said Wednesday that she is still determined to graduate with her class June 16.

“It’s a part of my life,” she said. “It’ll show them that I’m not afraid.”