Teenage boy dies in travel trailer fire near Santa Paula
A teenage boy is dead after a travel trailer caught fire and burned east of Santa Paula early Sunday morning.
Fire crews received a report of a fire on Willard Road at 2:15 a.m., said Capt. Eric Hatlee from the Ventura County Sheriff's Office.
Two Good Samaritans were on Highway 126 when they saw the fire and called 911 before rushing to the scene to help, he said.
Update:Authorities identify teenager killed in trailer fire near Santa Paula
They saw a travel trailer next to a house engulfed in flames and tried to put the fire out but were not successful. They assisted the family out of the house, according to Hatlee.
Firefighters arrived at the scene and quickly extinguished the fire. They found the body of a 14-year-old boy inside the trailer, he said.
Family members had heard an explosion, which investigators think must have been one of the trailer's tires, Hatlee said.
The house and travel trailer were located on an orange grove-type of ranch, he said. No other injuries were reported.
The cause of fire is still under investigation.
By early afternoon Sunday, the scene was quiet along narrow Willard Road, which extends south of Highway 126 into surrounding agricultural fields.
A single Ventura County Fire Department engine backed out of the driveway of the residence and drove back toward the highway, also called Telegraph Road in the area.
As seen from Willard Road, where hedges and trees surrounded the home, the perimeter of the fire scene was partially visible next to the driveway and parking area. A burned BMW was parked next to where the trailer had stood. Pieces of scorched sheet metal could be seen amid charred trees that shrouded the burned structure.
A resident of the home who had been walking outside said the family was in mourning and did not yet wish to speak with a reporter.
Mo Jazi is a breaking news reporter with The Star. Reach him at Mo.NajafianJazi@vcstar.com or 805-437-0236. Gretchen Wenner is a breaking news reporter with The Star. Reach her at gretchen.wenner@vcstar.com or 805-437-0270.