VENTURA : Firefighters Contain Blaze in Riverbed

A fire in the Santa Clara River bed burned about an acre of brush Wednesday morning, sending up flames and thick clouds of smoke visible from the Ventura Freeway.

Two engine companies responded to the 9 a.m. fire and encircled the blaze. Rather than trying to push through the cane and other brush, they decided to let the plant life burn. The flames were contained about 40 minutes later.

“It’s kind of a contradiction for us to come to a fire and watch it burn, but sometimes it’s better to just let it go for a while,” said Ventura County Fire Engineer Dave Kromka.

A county arson investigator said he suspected the blaze was sparked earlier in the morning by a cigarette or a smoldering campfire. The stretch of riverbed adjacent to Johnson Drive is dotted with makeshift homeless shelters.

“Right where it started we found two or three mattresses, some sheets and some plastic,” said investigator Peter Cronk. “It looks like there was a regular camp down there.”