OXNARD : Cause of Restaurant Blaze Investigated
Investigators said they still weren’t certain on Sunday what caused a fire that gutted an Oxnard restaurant.
The fire, which destroyed the Chinaland restaurant near the intersection of Ventura Road and 5th Street, started under a seating booth and may have been caused by a cigarette, said Battalion Chief Terry McAnally of the Oxnard Fire Department. Investigators have ruled out arson, he said.
The fire began around 3:45 a.m. Saturday and had engulfed the restaurant by the time fire crews arrived minutes later. The fire also spread to several adjacent businesses, seriously damaging a nail salon and a doughnut shop and causing less serious damage to a laundry.
McAnally estimated the total damage at $1.2 million.
Firefighters brought the blaze under control about one hour after it began.
Although no one was injured during the incident, one firefighter was treated and released later in the day after he was hit by a falling beam at the restaurant.
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