Latest news with #SimiValleyPoliceDepartment
USA Today
04-07-2025
- USA Today
1 person killed in California house fire after fireworks explode in garage
One person died in a fire at a California home after fireworks exploded in the garage, police said on July 3. The fire erupted in the garage and spread to the attic and main areas of the home in Simi Valley, California, part of Ventura County about 40 miles northwest of Los Angeles, officials said. The Ventura County Fire Department and Simi Valley Police Department responded to the fire at the residence at about 11:48 a.m. on July 3. Calls reported what sounded like a large explosion followed by a series of smaller ones, said Simi Valley police Sgt. Rick Morton. When the first police supervisor arrived at 12:08 p.m., he could still hear small explosions. The garage and attic were fully engulfed in flames and the roof had collapsed, Morton said. "The explosions were determined to be fireworks," the Simi Valley Police Department said in a statement. Firefighters on the scene issued a second alarm as the flames spread, officials said on social media. "I was in bed and woke up when I heard the explosion," said Wilfredo Aceves-Velasquez, 25, who lives nearby on Hudspeth Avenue. Are fireworks safe? Fireworks needlessly destroy fingers, hands and lives every year, doctors say By 1:45 p.m., caution tape closed off portions of Edmund Street where fire engines and utility trucks parked along the roadway. The home's garage door was blown from its hinges and could be seen near the curb across the street. At the scene, Scott Thomsen, county fire spokesman, confirmed the explosion. The cause of the fire was under investigation. Fireworks, which are illegal in Simi Valley, were found in the garage and in a truck in the driveway. Investigators have not yet confirmed what started the fire, Morton said. Police said the person killed was an adult male but did not release his identity. A mother and an adult son reportedly live in the residence. The mother was at work when the explosion occurred, Morton said. She returned home as firefighters worked to extinguish the flames, he said. Another fireworks explosion sparked huge fire Over 400 miles away from Simi Valley in the northern part of the state, another explosion at a fireworks factory sparked a fire earlier in the week, authorities there said. The factory exploded on July 1 in Yolo County northwest of Sacramento shortly after 6 p.m. The blast caused fires at several nearby structures and the fire spread to 78 acres. It was 60% contained as of July 4, according to CalFire. Video of that explosion showed a fire and huge plume of smoke with fireworks continuously going off within the smoke. The fire and explosion prompted evacuation orders and crews worked to locate seven people unaccounted for. Fireworks kill and injure Americans every year Last year, 11 Americans died from fireworks injuries and more than 14,700 were treated in emergency rooms, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Injuries include burns to the hands and fingers or head, face and ears in more than one-third of cases. "These are effectively bombs people are holding in their hands," Dr. Nicolas Lee, a professor of clinical orthopedic surgery at the University of California San Francisco who directs a hand reconstruction program, previously told USA TODAY. "We see hands and fingers blown off, groin injuries, facial burns and damage. I've had kids blow off their eyelids so they can't close their eyes." Experts say following these safety tips can help prevent a life-changing injury or death: Ernesto Centeno Araujo covers breaking news for the Ventura County Star. He can be reached at ecentenoaraujo@ Contributing: Elizabeth Weise and Anthony Robledo, USA TODAY
UPI
04-07-2025
- UPI
1 dead after fireworks explode in garage, setting fire to Cali. house
Firefighters attend to a residential fire in Ventura County that was ignited by fireworks exploding in the residence's garage. Photo courtesy of Ventura County Fire Department Public Information Office/ X July 3 (UPI) -- One person in southern California is dead after fireworks stored in a garage exploded on Thursday, setting fire to the house, authorities said. The Simi Valley Police Department said in a statement that emergency crews responded to the residential fire in the 1600 block of Edmund Street, while instructing residents to avoid the area. The identify of the deceased person was not released. Ventura County Fire officials reported that the fire was caused by fireworks in the garage, which then spread to the attic and into the house. "The explosions were determined to be fireworks, which resulted in the death of one person," the Simi Valley Police Department said. "This incident is still under investigation." The Ventura County Fire Department added in a statement that firefighters "continue to work on full extinguishment and overhaul." #EdmundIncident - VCFD Firefighters are on scene of a structure fire in the 1600 block of Edmund St. in Simi Valley. Crews responded to reports of an explosion in the garage, possibly caused by fireworks. The fire extended from the garage into the attic and main areas of the... VCFD PIO (@VCFD_PIO) July 3, 2025 The fire is the latest caused by fireworks in the state ahead of the July Fourth weekend. In northern California, a warehouse near Sacramento storing fireworks exploded Tuesday evening. Authorities said Wednesday that seven people were unaccounted for due to the blast and fire.
Los Angeles Times
03-07-2025
- Los Angeles Times
California fireworks explosions: 1 killed in Simi Valley, 2 critically injured in Bay Area
California has seen a spate of accidental fireworks explosions leading up to the Fourth of July, with a Wednesday morning detonation killing one person in a Simi Valley home and a similar incident critically injuring two people in a Bay Area residence. The Ventura County Fire Department responded to a residential structure fire in the 1600 block of Edmund Street at 11:48 a.m. where a body was found in a burning garage, said department spokesperson Andy VanSciver. Then at 12:18 p.m., police and fire officials responded to a house fire involving a fireworks-related explosion more than 350 miles up the coast in Hayward, according to the city's Police Department. Two people were transported to a hospital in critical condition. Police said illegal fireworks may have been manufactured at the home. In Simi Valley, 911 callers reported seeing fireworks exploding from the garage of the home on Edmund Street, VanSciver said. It is unclear whether the fireworks started the fire or ignited as a result of the blaze, said VanSciver, adding that the incident is under investigation. The identity of the person killed has not been released. The fire spread quickly, consuming the garage, attic and main areas of the home and sending massive plumes of dark smoke into the air above the residential street. The Simi Valley Police Department urged members of the public to avoid the area as fire crews worked to get a handle on the blaze. The incident was classified as a two-alarm fire, meaning that multiple fire crews and engines were needed. Crews knocked down the blaze at 12:42 p.m. and remained on scene as of 3 p.m., VanSciver said. VanSciver urged all residents to 'leave the shows to the pros' and refrain from purchasing and detonating their own fireworks during the holiday. 'Fireworks are not legal in the cities of Camarillo, Moorpark, Ojai, Port Hueneme, Simi Valley, or Thousand Oaks — and are also not permitted in unincorporated areas of Ventura County,' the department states on its website. 'The fire prevention professionals at VCFD strongly discourage the use of any and all fireworks. ... We also remind you that use or possession of fireworks could result in a fine — and possibly even a jail term.' Meanwhile in Hayward, fire crews responded to what officials said was an accidental fireworks explosion near the 27000 block of Mandarin Avenue, according to the Hayward Police Department. Upon arriving, crews found a man suffering from injuries consistent with a fireworks-related explosion. A second explosion then took place, prompting the evacuation of the home and nearby properties, police said. Fire crews were able to quickly contain the fire started by the second explosion to the garage, preventing flames from spreading to the rest of the house or adjacent properties. A specialized team from the Alameda County Sheriff's Office was brought in to help safely remove and dispose of any explosives remaining inside the home, police said. All fireworks are illegal within the city of Hayward. Aerial footage captured by CBS News showed significant damage to the roof and side of the building. The incidents come two days after a massive fireworks explosion at a warehouse holding fireworks in Esparato, a rural area around 40 miles northwest of Sacramento. Seven workers remained unaccounted Thursday after the fiery explosion, which triggered a 78-acre wildfire that crews were still working to contain.
03-07-2025
1 person killed in house fire in California after fireworks explode in garage: Police
One person was killed in a residential fire in California after fireworks exploded in a garage on the eve of July Fourth, police said. Emergency crews responded midday Thursday to a fire at the home in Simi Valley, located in Ventura County in the greater Los Angeles area. Explosions were reported inside the garage, according to police. "The explosions were determined to be fireworks, which resulted in the death of one person," the Simi Valley Police Department said in a statement. "The fire spread from the garage to the attic and into the house." Police did not release any details on the victim. Authorities urged people to avoid the area as fire crews worked to put out the blaze. The incident remains under investigation. Thomas Kudlick, who lives across the street from the residence, told ABC Los Angeles station KABC that he came outside his home after hearing a "big explosion." "I could see the garage had collapsed," he told the station. "Within just minutes, there was more explosions and more smoke and fire."
Metro
09-05-2025
- Metro
Mystery as missing couple's skeletons found nearly a year later by hiker
The skeletal remains of a couple were stumbled upon by a hiker nearly a year after they mysteriously vanished. José Luis Perez, 64, and his wife Stephanie Elizabeth Perez, 65, were reported missing in July, after losing contact with their family and friends, according to the Ventura County Sheriff's Office in California. On Sunday, a hiker around Sunrise Trial and Autumn Trail in Thousand Oaks called the sheriff's office after discovering 'what appeared to be skeletonized human remains', stated the agency on Facebook. The county medical examiner's office confirmed that the remains belonged to two humans, one male and one female. They were identified as the Perezes, and both died of gunshot wounds to the head, the medical examiner determined. Stephanie's manner of death was homicide – and her husband appeared to have killed himself. The sheriff's office believes it was an 'isolated incident'. Questions are swirling about the couple's disappearance and deaths. Police officers first did a welfare check when Stephanie's employer requested it on July 24 because she did not log on remotely for work, reported the Simi Valley Acorn. They were not found. Two days later, Stephanie's childhood friend pleaded for a second check, and officers with the Simi Valley Police Department again could not find the couple. Their phones, IDs, passports, money and vehicle were left at home. Search efforts for them with drones deployed were unsuccessful. More Trending Officers are not sure if the couple got to the hiking trail area using a rideshare service or went by food. Anyone with information on the case is urged to contact the sheriff's office. Thousand Oaks is about 40 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles. The couple's remains were found more than eight months after a frozen corpse discovered in a cave along the Appalachian Trail in Pennsylvania about 50 years ago was identified as a man of British origin. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Former Supreme Court justice who cast key vote upholding abortion rights dies MORE: Nursery worker 'filmed pinching, punching and grabbing 23 babies' MORE: Man arrested for murder after 87-year-old dies in suspected robbery
