Hazardous Materials Team Called to Blaze

A garage fire early Saturday caused $36,000 in damage and triggered a response from the county’s Hazardous Materials Unit after firefighters learned that cyanide had been stored in the garage.

Hazardous materials inspectors concluded that no cyanide had been released.

County firefighters responded to the fire in the 1400 block of Dara Street in Camarillo at 12:24 a.m. Fire investigators believe the fire erupted when a combustible material was ignited by a water heater pilot light.

Shortly after extinguishing the blaze, firefighters were informed by the homeowner, Greg Kimura, that the garage contained lethal cyanide gas.

Kimura is a jeweler and has a license to store and use cyanide for treating metal, county fire officials said.

To ensure no one was harmed by the gas, fire officials required that the garage and home be inspected by the Hazardous Materials Unit. For more than an hour, the nearly 25 firefighters at the scene had to wait until the garage was inspected.

County Fire Investigator Peter Cronk said the fire destroyed the garage and damaged the house.

“The smoke went throughout the house and the phone lines were burned in the garage,” Cronk said.