Ventura Alley Fire Believed to Have Been Set Deliberately

Ventura City Fire investigators believe a fire in a Ventura alley was set deliberately, and may be connected to a string of fires that occurred last year in the West Ventura Avenue area.

Firefighters responded to a structure fire in the 500 block of North Ventura Avenue shortly after 2 a.m. Thursday. When they arrived on scene, they discovered a large mattress on fire leaning against a row of exterior garage units that service an apartment complex. One of the units caught on fire and the flames soon spread to adjacent garages.

The fire was knocked down in about 12 minutes according to Ventura City Fire officials.

Fire investigators say that this fire shares the same characteristics as last year’s Ventura Avenue fires, which involves placing publicly discarded furniture or large flammable items against structures and cars, and lighting them on fire in the middle of the night.

No suspect or suspects have been arrested in this case.

Anyone with information about these incidents is encouraged to contact the Ventura City Fire Department of the Ventura Police Department.