Blaze Threatens Hilltop Homes : Crews Quickly Extinguish Latest in a String of Suspected Arson Fires

An arson fire that burned three acres of chaparral in Newbury Park came dangerously close to five luxury homes before it was rapidly extinguished by firefighters Monday afternoon.

The fire, which began just north of Lynn Road about 1 p.m., is one of at least 10 arson brush fires in Ventura County since April, said Sandi Wells of the Ventura County Fire Department.

The fire was contained within 20 minutes, but it was a frightening experience for residents of nearby homes, who watched the flames creeping up the hillside toward them.

“I came home right after the fire broke out,” said Kimlee Bublitz, who lives on a large hilltop house in the Rosa Kelley Estates. The flames, some 15 to 20 feet in height, were stopped about 150 feet from her home. “I was scared. It’s lucky it wasn’t windy.”

Police gave voluntary evacuation notices to about 10 residents, Wells said.

“The fire moved very fast, but they were able to get a handle on it quickly,” Wells said.

About 75 firefighters from the County Fire Department, California Department of Forestry and the city of Ventura Fire Department battled the blaze from the ground, and two Sheriff’s Department helicopters dropped about 1,700 gallons of water onto the hillside.

The fire was stopped before it reached a 20-foot firebreak near the homes that was completed just last month, Wells said.

The fire was started with an open flame such as that of a match or a lighter, Wells said.

“It was definitely arson, and it is being investigated,” she said.

A similar blaze that burned half an acre Sunday on the opposite side of Lynn Road could have been connected to the Monday fire, Wells said.

A weekend brush fire near Ojai was also ruled an arson, Wells said.

The blaze started Saturday afternoon just north of Shelf Road and blackened about 145 acres of rolling brush land, Wells said.

Investigators were not giving out any details about the blaze and are not saying whether it is connected to a series of eight brush fires that occurred in the rugged area between Ojai and Los Padres National Forest since April.

Investigators are looking into the fires--all started in the same general vicinity.

“They aren’t giving out a whole lot of information, because the investigation is ongoing,” Wells said. “If anyone saw anything suspicious near any of the fires, we are asking that they call the Fire Department.”

At the scene of Monday’s blaze in Newbury Park, temperatures of nearly 100 degrees and low humidity levels created dangerous conditions, Wells said.

A heat wave that has pounded the county for the last three days is expected to ease off gradually. High temperatures today are expected to be about two degrees warmer than Monday’s, according to the Ventura County Air Pollution Control District.

“There is a strong ridge of high pressure over much of California and the United States,” said Curtis Brack of WeatherData Inc., a weather forecasting service that contracts with The Times. “There will be a gradual cooling during the week with patchy fog near the coast.”

Correspondent Scott Hadly contributed to this report.