No one injured in Camarillo home fire

By Daniel Wolowicz

camarillo@theacorn.com

Flames and smoked poured from a large two-story home at 1006 Mesa Drive on Friday afternoon. 

 

Regan Patno, the son of the home's owner, Dolores Patno, clutched his cell phone and circled the burning home, weaving between fire trucks and the large crowd of neighbors drawn outside by the midday blaze.

 

According to neighbors, Patno, who lives at the home with his mother, was unsure if his 73-year-old mother was out of the house when the fire started around noon.

 

Patno later said his mother was not in the house, which sits on the corner of Mesa and East Loop drives, and that "there were no fatalities." He declined to comment further.

 

Paige Kory, 19, said she was in her bedroom when she smelled smoke and then heard someone shouting outside. Kory said she looked outside and saw flames coming from the Patno's home across the street and called 911.

 

The home burned quickly, witnesses and fire officials said.

 

"It went fast," said Vaughn Miller, assistant chief with the Ventura County Fire Department. Miller said the home's size and the fact that it was older contributed to the quick fire.

 

Miller said investigators won't know for some time what caused the fire and that an investigation is underway.

 

Large chunks of ash blanketed the neighborhood, forcing police to evacuate a number of the surrounding homes. 

 

"I was really concerned about some of the surrounding houses," said Cecie Shulman, a neighbor. Shulman said she credits a quick response by firefighters for saving neighboring homes. "Kudos to the fire department, they did a great job."

 

No firefighters were injured in the blaze, according to fire officials.