Short-Circuit Blamed for Home Fire

A short-circuit in a small television sparked a fire Tuesday morning that caused $55,000 in damage to a double-wide mobile home in Camarillo.

The fire damaged Vicki Corey’s mobile home on Camino Algrave in the Lamplighter Mobile Home Park.

A team of 25 firefighters contained the blaze in about 15 minutes, dispatchers said.

“There was extensive heat and smoke damage throughout,” Ventura County Fire Capt. Tom Law said.

Corey was driving to her job in the San Fernando Valley when the fire started a few minutes before 8 a.m. She learned about the blaze from neighbors who phoned her at her office, Law said.

The neighbors also notified the Fire Department after seeing smoke and flames coming from the back bedroom. When firefighters arrived, the home was engulfed in flames, Law said.

Of the $55,000 in damage, $35,000 was to the structure and $20,000 lost in personal belongings, including a television, a computer and a bed. Corey, who lived alone, is planning to stay with relatives, Law said.

Fire investigators believe a television in one of the two bedrooms was the origin of the fire. The television was off when the fire ignited, fire dispatchers said.