Oceanside CA— Numerous 9-1-1 callers reported a fire in the garage of a single family residence at 2312 Seasons Road Saturday evening, November 21, 2015, around 5:30 pm.
Fire units were dispatched just after 5:26 pm with the first unit arriving within 5 minutes (5:31 pm) and reporting they had a fire in the garage that had spread to a pick-up and trailer parked in the driveway.
Before crews were able to attack the garage fire they had to pull attack lines to the driveway area and extinguish the burning vehicles. As additional crews arrived, they pulled additional lines inside the house, as well as laddered the roof and prepared to cut holes to allow the hot gasses and smoke out of the attic if the fire extended beyond the garage.
Due to the intensity of the fire in the garage, the fire did spread through the wall and into the attic area of the house itself. Within a minute or two, the fire had spread throughout the entire attic.
As the crews on the roof cut their ventilation holes, the crews inside the structure began removing and covering valuables so that when the ceiling was breached to extinguish the fire, the contents inside would suffer the least possible damage. After a significant effort by multiple fire crews from the Oceanside, Vista and Carlsbad fire departments, the fire was brought under control at 6:08 pm.
An investigator from the Oceanside Fire Department interviewed the solo adult male who was home when the fire started, as well as sifted through the damaged garage. The investigator was able to determine the fire originated accidentally in the garage, but will be returning to the scene tomorrow to complete his investigation and determine the exact cause.
A total of three adults lived at the rented residence. The Red Cross responded to assist with their immediate needs as the structure suffered extensive fire damage and will be unable to be occupied until it is rebuilt. Total damage has been estimated at $240,000, including $200,000 to the structure itself, and $40,000 to the contents, equipment trailer and 2001 pick-up destroyed in the driveway.