Second fire sparked adjacent to Friday’s Harbor Fire in Ventura
UPDATE 2:
The Ventura City Fire has contained a second fire that burned adjacent to the burn area in Friday’s Harbor Fire in Ventura.
Fire officials say this fire burned 0.33 acres burning more encampment items that were abandoned near the Harbor at Olivas Park Drive.
The Ventura Fire Department says they had been patrolling the area for 24 hours with no problems noted until this incident.
The cause of the fire this second fire is still unknown.
UPDATE
The Ventura City Fire department has contained the fire that sparked Friday afternoon.
Fire officials suspect the fire was caused by an escaped cooking fire in one of the many homeless encampments in the area.
A water helicopter, 6 engine firetrucks, and 20 firefighters responded to this call and contained that fire at 7 acres after 6 hours.
ORIGINAL STORY:
Firefighters in Ventura are battling a fire that broke out at about 1:30 p.m. Friday in the Ventura Harbor area known as Surfer’s Knoll adjacent to the Santa Clara River mouth.
Officials are calling this the Harbor Fire and has already burned seven acres. It is 50 percent contained as of 5:30 p.m.
“Due to the heavy flames and immediate threat to the water treatment plant, McGrath State Beach, and some Edison power line infrastructure, they upgraded to a first alarm full brush response. We brought additional resources to bear on this incident,” said Battalion Chief Fred Burris with Ventura County Fire Department.
Ventura firefighters are being assisted by Cal Fire and the Ventura County Fire Department crews. A County Fire helicopter has continued to make water drops on the Harbor Fire.
The fire began in an area with active homeless encampments. Firefighters checked all those camps to make sure everyone was out. At one point, they received a report of a person trapped in the camp, but firefighters were able to find that person and get them out of the area safely.
Witnesses reported hearing a propane tank explosion prior to the fire igniting but the cause of the Harbor Fire remains under investigation.
