A brush fire Thursday burned 26 hillside acres in western Ventura, injuring three firefighters and coming close to some homes before being contained, authorities said.
The fire started about 10:50 a.m. in a grass field behind Kellogg Street at the base of a steep set of cliffs.
“It was slow to spread, but after 30 or so minutes, it started to climb the ridge,” Rick Pinheiro said as he stood in front of his East Vince Street home, staring at a wall of crackling flames high above his neighborhood.
Much of the brush and plants along the cliffs were still green from winter rains. Otherwise, “the fire would have spread much more quickly,” Pinheiro said, recalling previous fires on the cliffs.
Still, low humidity levels and hot weather made things worse Thursday, said Vern Alstot, a battalion chief with the city of Ventura Fire Department.
Two firefighters suffered heat exhaustion and were treated at Ventura County Medical Center in Ventura, then released. A third suffered a minor injury and was treated at the scene.
The blaze, which authorities were calling the Barnett fire because it was near East Barnett Street, was fully contained by 6 p.m. Thursday, fire officials said. About 135 city, county and state firefighters battled the blaze.
The cause remained under investigation Thursday, but a male juvenile suspect from Ventura was cited and released to a parent, city officials said without elaborating.
Firefighters used helicopters to drop water on the hillsides throughout the late morning and early afternoon. The fire reached the western portion of Grant Park, but a southwest wind kept it away from homes and buildings.
West Coast 911 firefighter news source – Ventura County Star/photos by James Glover / read entire article
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