Roundup: Pest foggers trigger explosion at Ventura home, more news
Here's a roundup of recent incidents and announcements from Ventura County agencies:
Pest foggers cause explosion
An explosion in a west Ventura apartment Thursday was due to poor placement of pest control foggers, city fire officials said.
The explosion was reported around 10:50 a.m. inside a residence in a two-story multifamily complex near Ventura Avenue and Dakota Drive. The blast damaged the kitchen area and multiple windows, according to the Ventura Fire Department.
A man was home at the time but wasn't injured, department officials said in a news release.
Firefighters shut off utilities and used thermal imaging cameras to check for any remaining fire before they entered the home. Building and safety officials checked the condition of surrounding units.
Fire investigators determined the cause of the explosion was pest control foggers being used too close to a water heater.
The department warned residents of the "flammable and explosive nature" of pest control foggers and urged people to be diligent while using them.
Man denied bail after alleged hammer attack
A 21-year-old Thousand Oaks man accused of seriously injuring two family members in their 60s during an alleged hammer attack was denied bail last week.
Scott Goldberg has been charged with attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon in the Nov. 19 incident at a home on Mayfield Court, a cul-de-sac off Mayfield Street in Newbury Park. Authorities have said Goldberg seriously injured his father, 64, and critically injured a woman, 63, who was said to be a family member but whose exact relationship to Goldberg wasn't immediately clear. No update on the woman's condition was available Saturday.
Goldberg, who was arrested at the scene on the night of the incident, was initially booked into county jail in lieu of $500,000.
He had remained in custody until his bail review hearing Wednesday in Ventura County Superior Court, when Judge Patricia Murphy granted the prosecution's request to deny bail, court records show, barring him from being released before trial.
Goldberg, who has not yet entered a plea in the case, is scheduled for arraignment on the morning of Dec. 20 in courtroom 37.
Smash-and-grab suspect nabbed in Simi
A Palmdale man who allegedly committed a "smash-and-grab" robbery at the Simi Valley Macy's store Thursday night was arrested after a pursuit and search.
Several 911 callers reported the incident in progress at the department store at 1475 Simi Town Center Way, where a man was said to be smashing display cases with a hammer and taking items shortly before 8 p.m., according to the Simi Valley Police Department.
As officers were on the way, the suspect fled in a white passenger vehicle that was soon spotted going eastbound on Highway 118. Officers tried to pull over the car and a short pursuit was launched when the driver failed to stop, according to police.
The suspect got off the freeway and drove on surface streets into a residential area where he abandoned the vehicle and fled on foot, police officials said in a news release.
The department issued an alert for residents to avoid the area around the 5900 block of Los Angeles Avenue as they established a perimeter while they searched for the suspect. The effort was aided from the air by a Los Angeles Police Department helicopter crew and on the ground by a Simi police dog K-9 unit.
Police ultimately found and the man and arrested him without incident on suspicion of robbery and felony evading. He remained in county jail Saturday in lieu of $110,000 bail.
Authorities recovered about $6,000 in stolen merchandise that was later returned to Macy's.
Items may be updated.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Roundup: Pest foggers trigger explosion at Ventura home, more news
