Fire Briefly Threatens Luxury Homes

A 20-acre brush fire briefly threatened a cluster of posh homes in the North Ranch neighborhood of Thousand Oaks Wednesday afternoon before a team of more than 100 Ventura County firefighters extinguished the blaze.

The fire began at 4:57 p.m. near a cul-de-sac on the western side of Westlake Boulevard. It quickly raced up the hill behind homes on Cresthaven Drive, moving onto land owned by the city’s open space agency.

About 20 families evacuated the area voluntarily, but were able to return within 90 minutes. The fire was contained by 6 p.m., with ground crews attacking smoldering areas and watering down the oak trees dotting the hillsides. Sandi Wells, Ventura County Fire Department spokeswoman, said the sheer number of firefighters on the scene helped put a quick end to the blaze. “We got a lot people here real fast,” she said. “Everything is so dry we just wanted to get on it fast.”

Wells said the department was flooded with calls to report the fire. More than 100 people called 911 about it, she said. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

One of the major concerns for firefighters was the number of homes in the area with wood shake roofs. While almost every new home in North Ranch has a tile or metal roof, some of the original homes still have wooden shingles. Several crews of firefighters took to the side streets on the eastern side of Westlake Boulevard, climbing onto roofs to make sure that burning embers carried by the wind did not spread the fire.

When firefighters arrived, the atmosphere in the customarily quiet luxury neighborhood bordered on bedlam. Four lanes of traffic jammed Westlake Boulevard, blocking access for fire crews. Cars streamed out of the hilly side streets as residents made quick exits on the recommendations of the 22 sheriff’s deputies patrolling the scene.

But with four helicopters dumping water from above, hand crews working their way up the hillsides with hoses and a bulldozer attacking the front lines of the fire, it was soon apparent that the blaze would not be allowed to jump the road.

Reassured of their safety, those residents who remained lined the streets and drove up to vista points to watch the firefighters and share the excitement with their neighbors.