BLAZE DESTROYS HOME; SIMI POLICE CHECKING OUT BURGLARY ANGLE IN EARLY MORNING FIRE.Byline: Michael Coit / Daily News Staff Writer The 22-year home of a Simi Valley Simi Valley (sē`mē, sĭm`ē), city (1990 pop. 100,217), Ventura co., SW Calif. in an oil, fruit, and farm region; laid out 1887, inc. 1969. family was consumed by a fast-burning fire early Wednesday that police officials said might have been connected to a burglary. Neighbors told police investigators that they noticed one or more figures running from the home before the fire at 2117 Bromfield St. was reported at 4:51 a.m. A next-door neighbor said money, jewelry jewelry, personal adornments worn for ornament or utility, to show rank or wealth, or to follow superstitious custom or fashion. The most universal forms of jewelry are the necklace, bracelet, ring, pin, and earring. and a knife were found scattered Scattered Used for listed equity securities. Unconcentrated buy or sell interest. on the driveway of the home and the lawn of a neighboring neigh·bor n. 1. One who lives near or next to another. 2. A person, place, or thing adjacent to or located near another. 3. A fellow human. 4. Used as a form of familiar address. v. residence. ``We're investigating the possibility of burglary or anything else occurring before the fire,'' said Sgt. Arch Morgan, watch commander for the Simi Valley Police Department The Simi Valley Police Department (SVPD) is the police department of the city of Simi Valley, California. The department currently has over 120 sworn officers, and more than 65 support personnel[1]. The department has a patrol area that covers over 39 square miles. . Simi Valley fire Battalion Chief Fred Baugher said investigators were combing through the remains of the two-story home to determine a cause. ``It's suspicious. That's why it's under investigation,'' he said. Charred, splintered walls and broken windows were all that remained when Mike Reid walked up to the home where he and his five siblings siblings npl (formal) → frères et sœurs mpl (de mêmes parents) were raised. Reid, who lives in Simi Valley, and his brothers and sisters were notified by fire officials because their parents, John and Velvalee, went on a trip to Utah and could not be reached. They had left town Saturday, Reid said. ``I didn't believe it until I walked up to it,'' Reid said. ``I was thinking the garage caught on fire or something. But this is something else.'' Reid said his parents built the house, one of the first in the quiet neighborhood north of the Ronald Reagan Freeway and east of Erringer Road. All the children had moved away, but the parents remained in the four-bedroom home packed with so many memories. ``The only thing that's going to be hard is the pictures, books and everything that's irreplaceable,'' Reid said. Fire officials said the $150,000 home was totaled and all the contents, valued at $60,000, were destroyed. The fire was contained by 5:40 a.m., about 50 minutes after it was reported. Neighbor Linda McCoy, whose family has lived next door for 22 years, said the fire was burning from the first to the second floor when she was awakened a·wak·en tr. & intr.v. a·wak·ened, a·wak·en·ing, a·wak·ens To awake; waken. See Usage Note at wake1. [Middle English awakenen, from Old English by the sound of exploding glass. ``It burned really hot,'' McCoy said. ``Luckily it wasn't windy and it went straight up.'' The fire did not burn either of two neighboring structures and there were no injuries reported. CAPTION(S): 2 Photos PHOTO (1--color in Simi edition only) Firefighters check for lingering lin·ger v. lin·gered, lin·ger·ing, lin·gers v.intr. 1. To be slow in leaving, especially out of reluctance; tarry. See Synonyms at stay1. 2. sparks at a Simi Valley residence destroyed Wednesday at 2117 Bromfield St. in an early morning blaze. (2--color in Simi edition only) Neighbors reported seeing figures flee the home before the fire. Tina Gerson/Daily News |
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