Fire Threatens Homes Near Simi
Firefighters say a house near Simi Valley was spared damage from a brush fire Thursday evening because the homeowner earlier had cleared vegetation away from the structure.
The fire began shortly after 5 p.m. on Studio Road in Box Canyon near the Los Angeles-Ventura county line when a car went out of control and stopped on a hillside, said Ventura County Fire Department spokeswoman Marnie Morgan. The driver was not injured, but the vehicle’s hot catalytic converter ignited the brush.
Crews from Ventura and Los Angeles counties, as well as Los Angeles city firefighters battled the blaze. Because of the canyon’s rough, vertical terrain, a water-dropping helicopter was also brought in.
The fire grew to 20 acres and threatened several homes, but no structures were burned.
“Weed abatement saved one of the homes,” Morgan said.
By 8:30 p.m. the blaze was more than 95% contained and the structures were no longer in jeopardy, she said.
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