CAMARILLO : Fire Damages Home in Leisure Village

An early-morning blaze broke out on the back porch of an elderly Camarillo woman’s home, forcing her from the house and killing her poodle, Ventura County fire officials said Thursday.

The fire raced through one side of a duplex in the Village 16 neighborhood of the Leisure Village retirement community at about 12:40 a.m. Thursday, officials said.

Two people, including homeowner Iva Grace Adams, 81, were treated at the scene for symptoms of smoke inhalation, but neither required hospitalization, fire officials said. The identity of the second victim was not available from investigators Thursday.

Officials said the blaze caused an estimated $40,000 in damage to Adams’ home and an additional $20,000 worth of property was destroyed.

It took nearly three dozen firefighters about 25 minutes to contain the fire. The cause is still under investigation, officials said.

Adams’ pet poodle was found dead inside the home, apparently from smoke inhalation, after firefighters extinguished the blaze, according to investigators.

Donna Duke, president of the 3,000-member community’s board of directors, said Thursday that the association was insured for the losses and that Adams had relatives in the area she could stay with until repairs are completed.