Hydrant at Apartments Was Partly Shut : Thousand Oaks: The fireplug was in violation of county code. But investigators say it was not used to fight the blaze that claimed buildings at The Knolls complex.

One of the fire hydrants at a luxury Thousand Oaks apartment complex ravaged by fire over the weekend had been partially turned off--a violation of the county fire code, fire investigators said Monday.

The fire code states that hydrants must be working when structures are in the framing stage, as were about 18 of the apartment buildings destroyed Saturday at The Knolls complex on Avenida de los Arboles, officials said.

Fire investigator David Chovanec said it is unknown who turned off the hydrant, one of nine at the apartment complex.

However, Chovanec said it is common for contractors or subcontractors to shut off a hydrant in one area for brief periods of time to work on a main water line for plumbing purposes.

The hydrant was reactivated by an official from the Thousand Oaks Utilities Department about 5 p.m. Saturday, two hours after the fire started, said Assistant Fire Chief Jim Smith.

Smith said the hydrant was not close to the fire and was never used to battle the blaze Saturday. He said fire hydrants go in and out of service all the time, and hydrant placement often is designed to have one go out of service, he said.

“As long as we know it’s out of service, we can handle it,” Smith said.

Fire Marshal Dick Wilson said that after an investigation Sunday, officials “came away feeling everything was proper and in place.”

When firefighters had trouble drawing sufficient water supplies Saturday, they initially complained that the water system was not working properly. However, officials now believe that low water pressure was caused by their efforts, which overwhelmed the system, Smith said.

The water system at the complex is designed by Fire Department standards to deliver about 2,250 gallons of water per minute, Smith said. But the first two engines on the scene each were using 1,000 gallons of water per minute. As more engines tapped into the system, the water pressure dropped, Smith said.

The Fire Department sets standards for complexes based on how much water is needed to defend completed structures, which are protected from fire with stucco walls on the exterior and wallboard on the interior.

But about 18 of the buildings that burned to the ground were just wood framing, extremely vulnerable to fire, he said.

In addition, water pressure was lowered when pipes burst in some of the burning buildings as they collapsed and spilled about 1,000 gallons of water per minute into the streets, officials said. The pipes were clamped off by midnight, Smith said.

Fire officials tapped into water supplies from a neighboring complex about two hours after the fire began, he said.

However, firefighters were still hampered by high winds and low humidity, which at one point contributed to a firestorm, officials said.

“It was similar to World War II incendiary bombings,” Smith said.

Officials of Newport Beach-based Regis Homes Corp., the project’s co-owner, declined comment. Officials at the Thousand Oaks offices of the Lang Ranch Co., the project’s co-owner and developer, could not be reached.

The fire was ignited about 3 p.m. Saturday by a plumber using a torch to solder a pipe, officials said. The fire spread quickly to adjacent buildings, which were close together and in the open wood-framing stage of construction, officials said. It slowed when it reached buildings with stucco, but some of those also suffered damage.

The fire caused $10 million damage to structures and $2 million to construction supplies.

Twenty-two buildings burned to the ground, and three others were heavily damaged. Another building also suffered minor damage, Chovanec said.

The fire was contained about 9 p.m. Saturday, and crews continued to work Sunday, bulldozing buildings and dousing them with water so smoldering embers would not reignite.

On Monday, fire officials continued to field calls from concerned neighbors who noticed smoke from smoldering embers in the area. A fire engine was stationed at the complex for safekeeping, officials said.