Fire Crews Contain Blaze of 200 Acres
A brush fire of suspicious origin scorched 200 acres and briefly threatened a ranch in the Lockwood Valley area of Los Padres National Forest before firefighters from three counties tamed the blaze Sunday.
The fire, which began about 3:45 p.m. Saturday, was contained by 6 p.m. Sunday and expected to be extinguished by 6 p.m. Tuesday. There were no injuries, but the fire caused about $500 in damage to fences.
Fire officials were investigating the suspicious circumstances of the origin of what they called the Grade Fire.
“It appears to be man-made,” said Charlie Johnson, spokesman for the Santa Barbara County Fire Department, which came to the aid of Ventura County to fight the blaze. “It could have been accidental or intentional. It’s a remote area, and sometimes people go there to shoot guns at tin cans.”
About 230 firefighters from Ventura, Santa Barbara and Kern counties, as well as several state and federal agencies, worked to extinguish the blaze, which neared several outbuildings on one ranch, where five people were temporarily evacuated. But it caused no damage to the buildings.
The fire came within half a mile of a dozen homes scattered in sparsely populated Lockwood Valley, about 12 miles west of Frazier Park. It was centered near the intersection of Lockwood Valley and Grade Valley roads.
Lockwood Valley Road was closed by firefighters until 1:30 a.m. Sunday.
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