The Ventura County Star
VENTURA, Calif. — Firefighters responded to a Moorpark home Tuesday morning for the second time in 12 hours after a fire they put out at the residence rekindled, authorities said.
The first fire in the home, in the 4400 block of Cedarglen Court, was reported at 3:44 p.m. Monday when neighbors spotted it and called 911, said Capt. Ron Oatman, a spokesman for the Ventura County Fire Department. None of the residents were home at the time.
When firefighters arrived, they found flames coming out of the home’s second-story windows, Oatman said. Firefighters contained the blaze to one bedroom before reporting it extinguished at 4:29 p.m., Oatman said. Smoke damaged much of the building’s second floor, and the family that lives there was displaced.
The fire was caused by an electrical problem, Oatman said. Possible sources include a power strip and a curling iron.
Firefighters returned to the home at 9 p.m. to check for smouldering embers, and a thermal imaging camera showed none at that time, Oatman said. Fire started again in the attic Tuesday morning, however.
Firefighters returned to the home about 3:22 a.m. after a newspaper delivery man reported smoke and fire coming from the attic, he said. The flames were knocked down by 3:39 a.m., and firefighters stayed on scene for almost three hours to make sure it was out.
The area burned by the attic fire was also burned by the first blaze.
While rare, this type of incident illustrates the importance of “overhaul” - a process in which firefighters search for hidden bits of burning material, often long after flames have been snuffed, Oatman said.
“Something can smoulder for a long time and all of a sudden pop up,” he said.
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