Ventura County Firefighters Respond to Explosion

Firefighters responded to an explosion and fire in a storage basement in Oak View Thursday night, authorities said.

The structure on Hill Street was unoccupied when the incident began about 6:21 p.m., according to the Ventura County Fire Department. The blaze, confined to the storage area, was knocked down by 6:41 p.m.

The explosion involved an unknown black powder substance, according to the department. The cause is still under investigation, officials said.

In Los Padres National Forest, firefighters planned to spend Thursday night mopping up a 1.5-acre fire east of Lockwood Valley Road, about 5 miles from Frazier, officials said.

The fire broke out about 10:45 a.m. Thursday and was not officially contained at 7 p.m., said Vicki Collins a spokeswoman for the Los Padres National Forest.

It was burning in rugged terrain near brush and timber about a half-mile from a commercial structure. At the outset five fire engines were dispatched, plus helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft, Collins said.

The cause of the fire was unknown. No injuries have been reported.

Another small brush fire was reported this week in the Ventura River Bottom.

Firefighters from the Ventura City and Ventura County fire departments extinguished an approximately one-half acre brush fire Wednesday afternoon near the intersection of Stanley Avenue and Highway 33, authorities said.

Story by Ventura County Star