Fire destroys Apartment complex

By Peggy Kelly Santa Paula TimesIt was first seen as two puffs of smoke but within minutes a raging condominium fire was well on its way to destroying the homes of 23 people and leaving one resident - who accidentally started the blaze while working on his truck - with severe burns. A Santa Paula firefighter was later transported to the hospital to be treated for heat exhaustion.The fire, the most destructive blaze in recent city history, occurred on Tuesday, March 19, at the Monterey Condominium complex on West Santa Barbara Street, just west of Dean Drive.The blaze sent thick black clouds of smoke onto three school campuses, which were evacuated as firefighters from four departments fought the raging fire.The two-alarm fire started at about 12:20 p.m. in a carport at the complex, located in the 600 block of West Santa Barbara Street, and quickly spread to the garage’s wooden rafters and into the common attic shared by the six units in the two-story horseshoe-shaped building.“It was a very fast-moving fire,” said Acting Deputy Fire Chief John Harber. “The building was pretty much engulfed in flames upon arrival of the first firefighters.”Engines and personnel from the Ventura County, Ventura City and Fillmore fire departments also responded to the scene but it took the 60 firefighters about 90 minutes to knock the fire - which briefly threatened surrounding buildings - out.Also involved in the fire fight were the shifting winds, which kicked in within minutes of firefighter arrival on scene. Billows of thick, choking smoke as well as flying ash and soot caused the evacuation of nearby structures. Also evacuated were Glen City Elementary, Isbell Middle and Santa Paula High schools, all blocks from the fire but in the line of smoke clouds.It took several attempts before Stan Mozer, a former City of Orange firefighter, was able to rescue 51-year-old Juan Viveros, from his condominium, where the panicked Viveros returned to retrieve his wallet and other papers.Viveros had been working on his truck in the garage and after affixing the fuel pump to the battery, he was pumping gas out of the tank when an explosive occurred, burning his hands, face and head.Mozer said he saw two puffs of smoke and then a cloud of black smoke as he drove westbound on Main Street. Mozer raced to the scene and found the fire was “already fully involved,” but that the residents, several who had been alerted by Viveros, were safely out of their units. One popular resident, elderly Dorothy Vaughn, was quickly helped out of her downstairs unit by neighbors Juan and Enrique Jimenez, who carried her across the street.Viveros had raced back into his condo and although Mozer got him out, Viveros, burned and in shock, again ran back inside only to try to escape the flames by slamming into the sliding glass door. Mozer reached Viveros again: “I said ‘You’re out of here!’ grabbed him and heard an explosion,” as they exited the unit. Mozer not only helped Viveros to an ambulance but provided medical aid.Viveros, who received second- and third-degree burns to his hands, wrists, face and head, was transported to Santa Paula Memorial Hospital and then transferred to the University of Southern California Burn Center, where he is listed in fair condition.