CASITAS SPRINGS : Boy, 4, Starts Blaze, Burns Family Duplex
A 4-year-old Casitas Springs boy who was playing with fire started a blaze Tuesday afternoon that destroyed the rear end of his family’s duplex, causing $60,000 in damage, authorities said.
No residents were hurt in the fire, which occurred in the 8800 block of Nye Road about 2:20 p.m., but Firefighter Mark Fisher was treated for heat exhaustion at the scene.
The blaze was started by Trevor Allen, who was playing with an undisclosed fire source under his bed, authorities said.
“It’s a thing with kids that age--especially boys,” Ventura County Fire Investigator Bill Hager said. “They’re curious about fire.”
Trevor’s baby-sitter, Helena Maria Ortiz, 21, told firefighters that she saw flames between the bed and the wall. She grabbed the boy and ran out of the duplex, authorities said.
Neighbors said they did not hear any smoke alarms before the blaze broke out.
Hager said fire officials will decide later whether to offer any counseling to Trevor.
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