Fire levels unique home
By Daniel Wolowicz camarillo@theacorn.com

MIGUEL MORALES/Acorn Newspapers TOTAL LOSS- A Ventura County firefighter puts out a fire which gutted a Camarillo Heights home known for its eclectic artwork.

Regan Patno was chatting with a friend in the parking lot of the Home Depot store a few miles from his mother's Camarillo Heights home when he first saw the plume of smoke around noon last Friday.

Patno said he thought the blaze might be close to the family's large, twostory home, so he decided to check it out instead of finishing his afternoon errands.

"I really didn't think, of course, that it was my mom's house," Patno said. But as the 42year-old Santa Monica man made his way toward the unique residence at 1006 Mesa Drive, he soon realized the home was ablaze and already swarming with Ventura County Fire Department firefighters.

"As I got closer and closer, it was horrifying," Patno said. "Making the final turn, it was indescribable. It was just terror."

Soon after he arrived, Patno called his mother, Dolores Patno, to tell her the home was on fire.

Dolores, 72, was at a doctor's appointment when her son called. She didn't believe him when he told her the news of the fire.

"She hung up on me," Patno said. "She thought it was a joke."

Paige Kory, 19, said she was in her bedroom when she smelled smoke and then heard someone shouting outside. Kory said she looked outside, saw flames coming from 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.

The home, known for its unique sculptures and beveled and stained-glass windows, had become a local landmark for many of the city's residents.

"The house itself resembled a Greek palace, in both size and ornamentation," wrote Michelle Soto de Carvalho in a recent letter to the editor. "Many had opinions about the house as it stood out in our Camarillo Heights neighborhood, but to me and my family, that's what makes our neighborhood so special."

Patno said he, along with his brother and sister, grew up in the home that overlooked much of the city.

Raised by his mom, Dolores, and dad, Eugene, Patno said he had fond memories of his parents collecting odds and ends to decorate the house in a unique, creative way.

"I remember my parents always, always making things," Patno said. "They were always into the latest design, the newest addition to the house."

In one instance, Patno said, his parents struck a deal to buy all of the wood used in the lanes of a local bowling alley that was set to close. He said his parents took the wood and not only built a ballroom dance floor in one of the rooms but also constructed an elaborate spiral staircase.

Since his father's recent death, Patno said, he's been spending more time at the Camarillo home helping his mom. Patno said his mother wants to rebuild the home but that it will be a while before construction begins on the corner lot.

"The house was her pride and joy, and frankly, a lot of her identity was up in that house," he said.