Landmark Damaged in Blaze

A fire burned part of an ornate 101-year-old farmhouse in downtown Heritage Square early Tuesday, causing as much as $90,000 in damage and forcing a theater group to cancel its performance of a play set to debut New Year’s Eve.

About 20 firefighters were called to the Petit House at 730 South B St. about 4 a.m. The flames appeared to be on the outside of the structure, but quickly burned to an attic.

Firefighters and a sprinkler system put out the fire in about 10 minutes, before it could spread to other parts of the “marvelous house,” Battalion Chief Terry McAnally said.

Cause of the fire has not been determined, but McAnally said transients trying to stay warm may have set fire to wood piled on a porch.

The three-story house is home to an insurance company, a couple of smaller businesses and an office for building owner Gary Blum. Most of the basement is occupied by the Elite Theater Company, which holds performances in the 48-seat Petit Playhouse.

Just hours after the fire, insurance company employees went about their business in an undamaged corner of the office, while crews moved debris, computer equipment and documents from blackened rubble nearby.

Only a 911 call from a resident of a nearby apartment and quick action by the Fire Department saved the house from destruction, Blum said.

He praised the firefighters for not only putting out the fire but saving the contents of the building.

“They covered all the equipment,” he said. “They really did a great job.”

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Members of the theater group had been preparing for the debut of their new production, “Sylvia,” which was to open tonight.

Although firefighters kept the flames out of the basement, there was extensive water and smoke damage, so opening night at the 48-seat theater was postponed until Friday.

The New Year’s Eve show, the theater’s biggest night of the year, was sold out, artistic director Judy Heiliger said. And New Year’s Eve tickets cost $25 each, up from the regular $12 charge. “It’s been a big night for us every year, and it’s very lucrative,” she said. But she added that the all-volunteer company has been putting in long hours getting ready. “We can all use the extra two days’ rest.”

Blum said much of the house and its fixtures were carefully restored from original materials, including an intricately carved door that lay in ruins, its etched glass shattered. Cost of replacement: about $400.

Blum hopes to keep the repairs faithful to the building’s design. But he may make changes to the porch, where the fire began.

“It’s a potential problem for transients,” he said. “It originally had a roof on it and was somewhat enclosed as a mudroom. So we might go back to that design.”

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The Queen Anne-style house was designed by Santa Paula architect Herman Anlauf for Blum’s great-grandparents, Justin and Frances Petit, in 1896.

It is considered the “crowning jewel” of Heritage Square, a site near downtown Oxnard where turn-of-the-century homes are maintained, according to city officials.

The home, moved from its original site on Wooley Road near Rose Avenue, features rare curved glass windows, hip and gable roofs with a pointed tower, and rich wood detailing.

The 7,100-square-foot structure was also notable as the first farmhouse in the county to have electric lights.

It was moved to Heritage Square in 1991.

Blum said it will probably take about a month to make all the repairs.