Local News in Brief : Man Killed, 2 Injured in Simi Valley Blaze

One man was killed and two burned late Saturday night after smoldering sawdust in a Simi Valley furniture factory erupted into flames, Ventura County Fire Department officials said Sunday.

The victim, identified as Ralph S. Bleemers, 30, of Covina, went into a cardiac arrest apparently brought on by smoke inhalation, a county coroner’s spokesman said. He was pronounced dead at Simi Valley Adventist Hospital.

The blaze at Wambold Furniture Manufacturer at 6800 Smith Road broke out shortly after 10 p.m. when sawdust was apparently ignited by welding sparks, causing a flash fire minutes later, Fire Department spokesman Denise Stacey said.

Bleemers and two other men, Robert Slavy and William Flores, were cleaning an air duct when the fire began, and Bleemers climbed up the duct, where he became trapped until firefighters removed him, Stacey said.

Slavy, of Simi Valley, and Flores, of Los Angeles, climbed down the duct and suffered second- and third-degree burns on their hands and legs, Stacey said. They were taken to Sherman Oaks Burn Center, where they were in stable condition Sunday.

The fire caused $15,000 in damage to the building.