Apartment Fire Blamed on Child Playing With Lighter

A child playing with a cigarette lighter is believed to have started a fire Sunday morning that gutted an upstairs apartment in Casitas Springs.

The blaze, which started in a bedroom shortly after 9 a.m., spread quickly through the top of the aging structure at 8512 N. Ventura Ave. Sherri Marino and her four children lived in the apartment.

Ventura County firefighters and others from Point Mugu and the city of Ventura feared the worst after initial reports from witnesses living near the property that two children were trapped in the burning building. But only one occupant suffered minor injuries from smoke inhalation and one firefighter received a minor burn on his knee.

Firefighters said one of the children may have started the blaze.

“There were a lot of additional hazards, besides the fire and the reports of children in the unit,” said County Fire Department spokesman Joe Luna. Firefighters had to contend with a downed 16,000-volt power line on the property and a reported natural gas leak before they were able to contain the blaze an hour later, he said.

Damage to the apartment building was estimated at $40,000. The fire also destroyed the Marino family’s belongings, valued at $30,000.

Although the apartment was equipped with smoke detectors, none were working, Luna said.

“They had a problem with water coming through the roof, and they disconnected them,” he said.