FIRE DESTROYS CREEK AREA PROJECT : BLAZE MAY HAVE STARTED FROM CHILDREN PLAYING WITH MATCHES.

Byline: Cecilia Chan Staff Writer

Children playing with matches may have sparked the Thursday afternoon brushfire that consumed 84 acres, including most of a restoration area in Potrero Creek, officials said Friday.

The fire came within 100 yards of homes and destroyed a $10,000 drip-irrigation system and $5,000 worth of native plants in the National Park Service's Potrero Creek Restoration Project.

``The fire started by the road and moved southeast so it burned away from the road, over the hill into the valley where the restoration site was,'' said John Tiszler, plant ecologist with the Park Service. ``It was toasted.''

Officials received tips that children playing with matches might have started the fire. If those leads pan out and suspects are apprehended, they will be dealt with in the juvenile justice system and the fire district will seek restitution for the fire's damage, said Sandi Wells, Ventura County Fire Department spokeswoman.

Smoke still smoldered from a few spots and the once-thriving greenery underfoot was crunchy, said Tiszler, who was on the scene Friday to assess the damage. He estimated 15 to 20 acres was burned and 1,000 donated native plants and trees destroyed.

``It's hard to know what will survive,'' he said. ``I think most of the taller things will survive the fire.''

He noted the fire burned leaves off the valley oak trees, but left intact those of live oak trees, whose waxy leaves normally stay on year round.

Weeds such as fennel and canary grass were so green the fire burned right past them.

Tiszler said he thought it ironic that donations that had launched the restoration project resulted from another devastating fire - the Greenmeadow Fire of 1993 that scorched 78,000 acres.

The restoration project began in 1994, with volunteers coming throughout the year to help weed and place 200 to 300 plants at a time, he said.

``We started along the stream and as things in there grew we moved out to both sides of the stream,'' he said. ``The core part, the original planting, was coming along nicely.''

Tiszler indicated the fire will affect hummingbirds, catbirds and buntings that flocked to the restored habitat.

``The (grassy) area . . . is just flat, but once the trees grew up and provided cover you got lots of birds.''

Tiszler said he won't do any further planting until the fall, when plants seem to thrive better. Until then, crews will work to replace the irrigation system and get more plants.

He said the donated irrigation system helps plants send roots deep enough into the soil to tap into the moisture.

As for bringing back the restoration area to pre-fire conditions, it will depend on how fast they can install the replacement plantings, he said.

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2 Photos

PHOTO (1--Color) National Park Service Firefighters Mike Wilson, right, and Don Bowen look for hotspots the day after Thursday's fire.

(2--Color) Thursday's fire consumed 84 acres, including a portion of the Potrero Creek Restoration Project located in Newbury Park.

Eric Grigorian/Special to the Daily News