California Wildfire Appears Accidental, Drizzle Aids Firefighters

Investigators have ruled out arson as the cause of a huge Southern California wildfire that was 75 percent contained Sunday after burning through coastal mountains and threatening thousands of homes.

Continuing cool, moist air and drizzle late Sunday and continuing through Monday reduced fire activity and helped firefighters build containment lines around the 44-square-mile fire at the western end of the Santa Monica Mountains.

Officials expected full containment late today.

Investigators said the cause of the fire was not considered suspicious, but that it was started by a small, “undetermined roadside ignition of grass and debris” on the edge of U.S. 101 near Thousand Oaks, according to a spokesman with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

At its peak, the fire threatened some 4,000 homes as it moved through neighborhoods of Camarillo Springs and Thousand Oaks. It has caused damage to 15 homes.

Topics California Catastrophe Natural Disasters Wildfire