Fires Erupt in 2 Homes, Restaurant; Boy Hurt

Firefighters were busy Thursday afternoon putting out two house fires and racing to a restaurant kitchen fire.

A teenage boy, whose name was not released by authorities, was injured in one of the fires. He was treated for minor burns and released from St. John’s Regional Medical Center, said Oxnard Fire Battalion Chief Terry McAnally.

The boy, whose hair, ears and head were singed, had been playing with matches and thought they were out when they caught fire in a trash can, McAnally said.

The fire then ignited some illegal fireworks, which intensified the blaze, McAnally said.

The fire engulfed the second floor of the house at 1541 Kent Court, causing $110,000 to $120,000 in damage. The 6:20 p.m. blaze was knocked down in half an hour by Oxnard firefighters.

A suspected electrical fire that started in a closet in a home day-care center at 2040 Sanford St. caused about $65,000 in damage, McAnally said.

Eight children and two adults were in the house when the fire broke out about 3 p.m., but no one was injured. The blaze was extinguished by Oxnard firefighters in 20 minutes.

A kitchen fire at Chuy’s Restaurant at 2800 South Harbor Blvd. in Channel Islands Harbor was extinguished by the building’s dry-powder system about 6 p.m., McAnally said.

The restaurant’s kitchen was shut down for the night, and several patrons and employees were evacuated.