On Dec.13, at 5:16pm Ventura City Fire personnel responded to a reported structure fire, visible fire coming from the roof of a strip-mall in the 4800 block of Telephone. Units arrived to find occupants being evacuated out of a single-story retail business by Ventura Police. Sprinkler heads on the roof were flowing, the fire alarm system was alerting, and a small amount of visible fire and smoke was coming from the roof behind a large parapet facade. An aerial ladder on the first arriving support company was used to make access to the roof from the rear, while engine companies entered through the front of the business and made roof access via fixed ladders and hatches. Simultaneous efforts were required to effectively mitigate the hazard and prevent further damage to the business and its inventory. Rope bags were used to hoist hose lines up from the sidewalk to the roof, while chainsaws were used to open up the vertical rear surface of the parapet wall. Electrical utilities were controlled, a water supply was established and the building sprinkler system was supported. While the fire was being knocked down on the roof, salvage operations were employed to cover and/or remove inventory from the showroom area beneath the fire, where water and ceiling tiles were dropping down.
