Ventura : Plumbing Company to Get Bill for Fire

A Ventura plumbing firm whose worker accidentally ignited a blaze that caused $12 million in damage to a luxury Thousand Oaks apartment complex will be billed for firefighting costs, a Ventura County Fire Department official said Friday.

Interstate Plumbing Inc. was told that it must reimburse the county for the costs of fighting the blaze that destroyed 22 apartment buildings at The Knolls on Nov. 10, investigator specialist Peter Cronk said. Estimates of the firefighting costs have not yet been completed, but the firm is expected to receive a bill by mid-December, he said.

Plumbing company officials were not available for comment.

Fire officials have decided not to file criminal misdemeanor charges, Cronk said. The company could have faced prosecution for violating two of the county’s fire codes.

Fire codes require that a fire extinguisher be on hand when a worker is soldering pipes. Workers also must have an observer standing by to ensure that fire stays on the pipe.

The plumber was alone when he accidentally sparked the fire with his soldering tool in an unfinished apartment building.