Half building returns, half still displaced after Oxnard fire

March 15--Residents in four units of an Oxnard apartment complex were able to move back in following a fire Tuesday afternoon, while those living in the other four units remained displaced on Wednesday.

As to how long the affected residents at the Woodcrest complex will be displaced, "that's up to the building's owner and their insurance company," Jose Cruz, a supervising building inspector with the city of Oxnard, said on Wednesday morning. "The building needs to be repaired before they can move back in."

The American Red Cross was called on Tuesday to help those displaced by the fire.

Some 30 firefighters responded to the blaze at the two-story apartment complex along the 600 block of West Vineyard Avenue. The fire was reported shortly after 4:30 p.m.

Alex Hamilton, a battalion chief with the Oxnard Fire Department, said the fire started after a plumber was soldering in a downstairs apartment and a spark ignited some insulation.

Workers tried and failed to extinguish the fire and later called 911. The fire went through the wall into upstairs floor and attic before being knocked down at about 5:22 p.m. Hamilton said.

Crews managed to contain the fire from spreading to the other half of the building, Cruz said, and residents of that portion were able to reoccupy the four units. No damage estimate was available as of Wednesday.

___

(c)2017 Ventura County Star (Camarillo, Calif.)

Visit Ventura County Star (Camarillo, Calif.) at www.vcstar.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.