Fire crews work to complete containment of Springs fire
With light rain falling Sunday, hand crews in Ventura County continued to work on establishing a more than mile-long fire break in the Hidden Valley area to complete containment of the 28,000-acre Springs fire.
The fire, which erupted near Thousand Oaks on Thursday and quickly spread to the Pacific Ocean, was 60% contained, with full containment expected by Monday, officials said.
The fire scorched large swaths of rugged mountain terrain and forced the evacuation of hundreds of homes. But a dramatic improvement in the weather on Saturday helped firefighters get a handle on the blaze.
Although 15 homes were damaged, none were destroyed, officials said. Seven fire personnel and one civilian suffered minor injuries.
More than 1,800 fire personnel were dispatched to battle the fire. But several engine companies were being released Sunday as conditions continued to improve.
The estimated cost of fighting the fire is $4.5 million and climbing. Although the exact cause of the blaze remains under investigation, fire officials said Sunday they do not believe it was arson.
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ari.bloomekatz@latimes.com
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