Photo by Breezy Gledhill
On Nov.3, at 8:30am Ventura City Fire Department was dispatched to a reported fire in the Ventura River bottom adjacent to the Ventura Fair Grounds. First arriving fire crews discovered a 50’ x 50’ fire burning 20’ tall brush and arundo directly adjacent to a railroad trestle. Train service was halted while crews from both Ventura City Fire and Ventura County Fire extinguished the fire. As crews were finishing operations and exiting the area an additional fire was started 100 yards south of the initial start. Fire crews extinguished the second fire within 30 minutes.
Fire investigation revealed an intentional start in the second location and also a third location where burning material was placed on top of a debris pile. Ventura Police department assisted with a search of the area; however, no suspect was located.
