House fire caused by arson
Authorities suspect resident was targeting his caregiver, who escaped the fire through an adjacent bathroom

BILL SPARKES/Acorn Newspapers QUICK RESPONSE- Ventura County firefighters make sure they have completely extinguished a fire that occurred in the first block of Wicks Road Tuesday evening.

Moorpark resident Richard Daniel Bergeron, 49, was arrested in connection with a garage fire that occurred in the first block of Wicks Road Tuesday evening.

The garage had been converted into a living unit and it was attached to a home that housed two other families.

Sheriff deputies and firefighters found the garage fully engulfed in flames when they arrived at the scene at about 7:30 p.m. that night.

The fire, allegedly set by Bergeron, was extinguished before it could spread onto the home. No one was injured during the incident, but authorities said they suspect that Bergeron was targeting his caretaker.

A brief investigation led arson investigators to believe that the fire was purposely set by Bergeron while his caretaker was in an adjacent bathroom.

Bergeron was arrested and booked at the Ventura County Jail. His bail is set at $500,000.

BILL SPARKES/Acorn Newspapers LEND A HAND- Tyler Francis, 18, of Moorpark, volunteers on his last shift on his last night as a cadet with the Ventura County Fire Department.

The converted garage has been an issue for years, said city officials, indicating there were code violations at the property.

Fire and police had contact with Bergeron several times over the last several month for medical and disturbance issues, said Larry Bull, senior deputyforth eVentura County Sheriff 's Department.

The apartments i n the house attached to the garage were are still inhabitable so the families were not displaced, Bull said.

- Sylvie Belmond