Fire Probe Focuses on Neighborhood Boys

Authorities have made no arrests in connection with a 275-acre brush fire sparked by firecrackers last week but acknowledge that the focus of their investigation remains on two boys.

Nearly 350 firefighters were called out Friday afternoon to battle the blaze, which began at the end of White Cedar Place and inched within 100 feet of homes.

Firefighters from Ventura County, the U.S. Forest Service and state Department of Forestry were called in to stamp out flames that roared through dry brush between the Lang Ranch neighborhood in Thousand Oaks and the Wood Ranch development in Simi Valley.

If investigators determine that the boys, who live on White Cedar Place, are responsible, their parents could be hit with the firefighting bill. Authorities put early estimates at more than $150,000.