Community
Ventura County Crime Stoppers will pay up to $1,000 reward for information, which leads to the arrest and criminal complaint against the person(s) responsible for this crime. The caller may remain anonymous. The call is not recorded. Call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477).
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Juveniles Arrested for Causing Brush Fire
| Nature of Incident: | Juveniles Arrested for Causing Brush Fire | ||||
| Report Number: | 21-56438 | ||||
| Location: | 500 Block of Country Valley Road, Thousand Oaks | ||||
| Date & Time: | April 29, 2021 @ 3:22 PM | ||||
| Unit(s) Responsible: | Thousand Oaks Police Department Ventura County Sheriff’s Office Bomb/Arson Unit Ventura County Fire Department Arson Investigation Unit |
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| (S)uspects, (V)ictims, (P)arty, (D)ecedent |
City of Residence |
Age | |||
| (S) Juvenile (S) Juvenile (S) Juvenile |
Thousand Oaks Thousand Oaks Thousand Oaks |
15 14 14 |
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| Narrative: | |||||
| Investigators arrested three juveniles after they started a brush fire in the hills near Westlake High School, in the City of Thousand Oaks, on April 29, 2021. On April 29th, 2021, at about 3:22 PM, the Ventura County Fire Department (VCFD) received a call of a brush fire, south of the 500 block of Country Valley Road, in Thousand Oaks. VCFD personnel quickly arrived on scene with five water dropping helicopters, and four fixed wing aircraft that drop fire retardant. Deputies from the Thousand Oaks Police Department (TOPD) also responded to assist with possible evacuations in case the fire threatened structures. Due to the quick actions by the Ventura County Fire Protection District along with other resources and proper clearance, the fire was contained to the brush only and no structures were damaged during the incident. Three juveniles were detained by residents after they were seen exiting the brush, shortly after the fire started. Arson Investigators from the VCFD and Sheriff’s Office arrived on scene and initiated an investigation into the cause of the brush fire. They contacted witnesses on scene and interviewed the three juveniles. After the juveniles were interviewed, they were released back to their parents, while the cause of the fire remained under investigation. It was determined the brush fire was caused by human activity. The three juveniles originally detained on the date of the fire, were identified as suspects in the crime. On May 4th, 2021, all three juveniles were arrested and cited and released to their parents for 13001 HS Reckless. The Ventura County Fire Department and the Thousand Oaks Police Department would like to thank the citizens who quickly reported the fire and acted swiftly to help identify the suspects. Due to low fuel moisture and drought conditions, extreme fire behavior is expected to continue throughout the year. Always be prepared for emergency evacuation. We would like to remind the public to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity. A reminder that all required brush clearance must be completed by June 1st. For more information on brush clearance and structure hardening please visit https://vcfd.org/fire-prevention/fire-hazard-reduction-program-fhrp/. |
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| Prepared by: | Detective Gregg Delarosa #3762 | ||||
| News Release Date: | May 5, 2021 | ||||
| Media Follow-Up Contact: | Detective Gregg Delarosa – 805-383-8743 [email protected] |
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| Approved by: Booking Photo Release: |
Captain Alan Hartkop YES NO |
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Ventura County Crime Stoppers will pay up to $1,000 reward for information, which leads to the arrest and criminal complaint against the person(s) responsible for this crime. The caller may remain anonymous. The call is not recorded. Call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477).
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Address/Location
Ventura County Sheriff's Office
800 S Victoria Ave
Ventura, CA 93003
Contact
Emergency: 9-1-1
Non-emergencies: 805-654-9511