May 22--A pallet fire Wednesday at a strawberry field near Oxnard spread to some greenhouses, burning two of them and damaging a third.
The fire was reported about 1 p.m. near Wooley Road and Rose Avenue. Some pallets at the farm apparently caught fire, said Capt. Mike Lindbery, a spokesman for the Ventura County Fire Department.
Firefighters arrived and found the pallets and three greenhouses burning, he said. A fourth was threatened by the flames, as well as some other buildings in the area.
Several hundred pallets and two greenhouses were destroyed and another greenhouse was damaged before the fire was knocked down about 3 p.m., officials said. No injuries were reported.
With the nearest hydrant about a half-mile away, firefighters had to set up a relay operation to get water to the scene, Lindbery said. Meanwhile, Wooley Road was closed between Rose and Rice avenues. Officials expected to reopen Wooley at 6 p.m.
Several agencies sent firefighters to the scene, including the Oxnard, city and county of Ventura and Naval Base Ventura County fire departments. A hazardous materials team also responded to make sure no hazardous materials burned.
Orlando Huerta, 42, was working in the area when he saw the fire break out. He and other workers tried to put it out but it was too windy, he said.
"We couldn't do anything, the fire was just getting bigger," Huerta said in Spanish.
Huerta said he was happy to hear nobody was hurt.
Copyright 2013 - Ventura County Star, Calif.
