Arrest Expected Next Week in Ranch Fire

Authorities Tuesday said they hope to arrest those responsible for sparking the 4,371-acre Ranch fire by early next week--assuming that they can straighten out the conflicting stories investigators have received from their main suspects.

Authorities earlier this week identified the suspects as two men from Ojai, but investigators have been stalled in making any arrest because the men have accused each other of starting the blaze, a source close to the investigation said.

Law enforcement officials are trying to decide if they believe one person acted alone, or if the pair acted together, in setting off illegal fireworks that ignited nearby brush along Koenigstein Road on Dec. 21.

Little information has been released about the men, but at least one suspect has been identified by sources as the son of a Ventura County Sheriff’s Department official.

Officials stress that the investigation is being handled by the Ventura County Fire Department, not the Sheriff’s Department, although sheriff’s detectives are aiding in the investigation.

Any decision on who should be arrested in the case will be made by county fire officials, authorities added.

The suspects could be charged with felony offenses of illegally starting a fire and face up to four years in prison. Enhancements could be added, however, because the blaze consumed forest land and destroyed one home.

If convicted, the suspects could also be forced to pay the more than $5-million tab it cost the county to extinguish the blaze.

Avocado and citrus trees, several outbuildings and acres of grazing land were also badly damaged.

Fire authorities said in a prepared statement that the kind of fireworks used to spark the blaze were “of the dangerous and illegal category” and were usually imported from Mexico and China.

The fire began just before 8 p.m. Dec. 21 near a home on Koenigstein Road in the Upper Ojai area. Winds that topped 70 mph quickly pushed the flames eastward toward the city. Two private schools and several homes were threatened, prompting firefighters to evacuate more than 40 families.

The flames burned for five days, causing some of the 1,611 firefighters battling the blaze to miss Christmas at home. A few crews were still assigned to the fire Tuesday to watch for hot areas that could flare up, county fire officials said.

At least five firefighters were injured extinguishing the season’s largest brush fire as it raged over rough terrain in Los Padres National Forest.

The fire isn’t the first time there have been problems with explosives on Koenigstein Road, said three area residents interviewed Tuesday.

The homeowners, who live on large ranches that dot the rural road, said the fire started within several feet of a long row of mailboxes that had been vandalized in the past.

Vandals have used firecrackers and other small explosive devices to blow up the mailboxes, and have also smashed them with a heavy instrument, residents said.

“We’ve had mailbox pranksters for years,” said a resident who asked to not be identified.

The most recent vandalism occurred late last month when two or three boxes were demolished, residents said. That vandalism was reported to postal authorities and then repeated to arson investigators working on the fire, residents said.

It is unclear if there is a connection between the fire and the vandalism, but residents said they believe the fire was the unintended result of more vandalism.

“I think 1/8the men involved 3/8 had no idea this was going to turn into a catastrophe,” said the resident who requested anonymity.

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Times Community News reporter Holly J. Wolcott contributed to this story.