Firefighters tackle condo fire in Oak Park; two displaced, cat dead

A fire in a three-story condominium brought a strong response to Oak Park Sunday afternoon, displacing two women and leaving a cat dead.

The incident was reported at 1:10 p.m. in the 5800 block of Oak Bend Lane, according to the Ventura County Fire Department. The block is generally north of Kanan Road in the Shadow Ridge condominium complex, which abuts hilly open space in the unincorporated Oak Park community northeast of Thousand Oaks.

The blaze, dubbed the Shadow incident, was kept to a single upstairs bedroom, said Engineer Mike Des Forges. Crews initially thought the attic would be impacted, but in the end it was spared. Firefighters also kept the blaze from spreading to adjacent condos.

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In all, some nine fire engines responded, Des Forges said, along with two support vehicles. Seven Ventura County engines were helped by two from Los Angeles County, he said.

Firefighters summoned utility officials to the site and requested Red Cross assistance for two women displaced by the blaze. Ventura County Sheriff's units responded to control traffic.

A neighbor reported the fire and the two people inside had evacuated by the time crews arrived, Des Forges said.

No injuries to people were reported, but a cat inside the condo died, Des Forges said.

The cause remained under investigation Sunday afternoon.

Gretchen Wenner covers breaking news for the Ventura County Star. Reach her at gretchen.wenner@vcstar.com or 805-437-0270.