Local News in Brief : Fire Destroys Dorm at Camarillo Hospital

Fire destroyed an employees’ dormitory at Camarillo State Hospital early Tuesday, the Ventura County Fire Department said. There were no injuries, but two people narrowly escaped the fire, the cause of which has not been determined, officials said.

A hospital spokesman, Myron Dimmett, said the building was worth $1 million to $1.5 million. It would cost $2 million to $2.5 million to rebuild it, although officials have not decided whether to do that, Dimmett said.

The fire did not involve patients or disrupt services at the hospital, where 1,300 mentally ill patients live, Dimmett said. The 15 staff members who lived in the damaged structure were being relocated Tuesday to other dormitories, he said.

The blaze in the two-story, 36-unit building erupted about 4:15 a.m. and was brought under control at 7:20 a.m., Fire Department dispatcher Lisa Hines said.

The fire started in a ground-floor apartment and spread to the attic, most of which was engulfed by the time firefighters arrived, she said.

One person jumped from the roof and another was taken from the second floor on a ladder, Hines said.

Fire Department crews pulling down the roof wore protective clothing and masks to avoid breathing asbestos from insulation, Hines said. The dormitory was built in 1951.

The cause of the fire was being investigated, she said.