Man Seriously Burned as Fire Destroys House

SIMI VALLEY — <p>A man suffered serious burns on his hands and arms when a fire broke out Wednesday night inside his large hillside home in the Santa Susana Knolls area, authorities said.

The name of the 53-year-old man was not immediately available, but fire officials said he was taken to Simi Valley Hospital with second- and third-degree burns.

A second man, 56, who was inside the house when the fire started, was uninjured. Authorities also said a woman at the scene was being treated for chest pains, but it was unclear whether she lived in the house.

The blaze started shortly after 7 p.m. inside a two-story, wood-sided house in the 5800 block of Oak Knolls Road. Flames shooting from the home were spotted by firefighters, who were in the area on another call.

It was unknown late Wednesday how the blaze started, but the fire destroyed the home, Ventura County Fire Department Deputy Chief Dave Festerling said.

Festerling said the home was hard to reach because it sits on a narrow road, making access by large firetrucks difficult. He also said getting enough water pressure was a problem because the location is at the end of a hydrant system.