Burglars Ransack House, Set It Afire

A family was left homeless after burglars ransacked their south Oxnard home Tuesday afternoon and then set it ablaze in an apparent effort to conceal the crime, authorities said.

One bedroom of the single-story house at 314 E. Juniper St. was gutted, and the rest of the home suffered smoke and heat damage. The family was not home at the time of the fire, and the Red Cross was contacted to help them find temporary accommodations.

Three neighbors who had attempted to fight the blaze with garden hoses--and went inside the house to look for the occupants--were treated for smoke inhalation at the scene by ambulance crews, Oxnard Fire Department Battalion Chief Terry McAnally said.

Structural damage was estimated at $40,000, and another $10,000 worth of contents were destroyed.

The burglars started the fire in a mattress.

“Debris and clothing were scattered throughout the house,” said Fire Capt. George Todd, who responded to the fire. “It was pretty obvious somebody was looking for something. I think they tried to cover their tracks by lighting the house on fire.”

Police have no suspects in the case.