Fireworks Identified as Cause of 4,300-Acre Fire

The 4,371-acre brush fire that destroyed one home last week and prompted the evacuation of two dozen others was caused by two men setting off fireworks, Ventura County fire officials said Monday.

Arrests are pending and the suspects, both Ojai residents, could face criminal charges within the week.

“We are looking at two male adult suspects for the reckless use of illegal fireworks,” said Joe Luna, a spokesman for the Ventura County Fire Department, which is leading the investigation. “We are looking at possible other charges.”

Meanwhile, the Board of Supervisors held a special meeting Monday to declare the scorched land a disaster area. The move paves the way for fire victims to receive disaster assistance funds.

Although no damage estimates have been calculated, Ventura County Fire Chief Bob Roper said that several outbuildings, avocado and citrus trees and acres of grazing land were badly damaged in the fire.

At least five firefighters were injured last week as crews fought flames burning into steep, rugged terrain of Los Padres National Forest.

The Ranch fire broke out about 7:50 p.m. Dec. 21 off Koenigstein Road in the Upper Ojai area and quickly moved eastward toward Ojai, destroying one house along the way.

By morning, the fire, fanned by winds topping 70 mph, threatened two private schools and several homes in the east end of the Ojai Valley, and more than 40 homeowners were told to evacuate.

Nearly 1,500 firefighters were called in from across the state in the following days to fight the blaze, which by Sunday was contained. Roper said firefighters hope to have the fire extinguished by the end of the week.

As of Monday, about 100 people continued to fight the fire, which Roper said still has a lot of hot spots.

So far, firefighting costs have topped $5 million, which the suspects could be forced to pay if it is proved they sparked the blaze.

As for the pending criminal case, Roper said: “I’m not sure how the district attorney’s office is going to prosecute, either as arson or illegal use of fireworks.”

Across the county, fire danger remains high, and officials are worried about millennial revelers sparking additional fires by setting off fireworks this weekend.

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“We ask people to celebrate Y2K by not having fireworks,” Luna said. “Even the so-called safe-and-sane fireworks have the potential to cause bodily injury . . . and they do start fires.”

It is illegal to set off fireworks of any variety anywhere in the county on New Year’s Eve, Luna said.

Luna said the county needs 3 to 4 inches of rain before the risk of fire danger diminishes.

“The weather is always the key factor,” he said. “We are still in fire season. We will stay in a heightened alert. The potential is still there.”

In recent years, fireworks have been blamed for several blazes across Ventura County, including a quarter-acre grass fire near Lake Casitas and a 60-acre brush fire between Moorpark and Fillmore.

Last year, Ventura County and state firefighters sued two Ventura teenagers and a parent to recover more than $200,000 spent fighting a 1996 brush fire that was sparked by fireworks. That blaze burned 400 acres between Ventura and Santa Paula.

The suit, which was recently settled, alleged that the teens started the fire while smoking cigarettes and lighting illegal fireworks.

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The Ventura County Fire Department also considered suing Fillmore after the teens admitted buying fireworks from booths there. Fillmore is the only local city where it is legal to buy and set off fireworks, but only during the week before July 4.

Fire officials say such legal action has become increasingly common across the nation as fire agencies seek to recover firefighting costs.