Oceanside CA— The Oceanside Fire Department responded to 114 South Tropicana Drive for a report of a vehicle fire near a home at 7:18pm, New Years Day.
Since it was reported as only a vehicle fire, a single Ladder Truck and Squad unit were dispatched to investigate. The units arrived just over three minutes later and found a well involved Ford F-150 pick-up in the driveway of a single story, single family residence with flames impinging upon the garage door and eaves. The Truck Captain immediately called Dispatch for an upgrade to a “working” structure fire
Oceanside Fire Captain, Tony Chapman said “We anticipated a vehicle fire but when we got here, was saw the vehicle was right next to the house and the house was just starting to go then.” continued the Captain, “We pulled lines and got a supply line going. We could hear a large sized dog barking that was trapped up near the lattice work of the home. We made sure we got him out and safe. We opened up the area and a pretty good sized Pitbull came running out. He wasn’t any problem. He just wanted out.”
Captain Chapman said the fire initially began in the engine compartment of the Ford F-150 and once the fire melted the glass above the garage door, started spreading to the interior of the garage and up and over the roof line. “Firefighters attacked the fire from the front and side of the house while protecting the exposure, to the south, of the home next door. Oceanside Police Officers were evacuating the family from that home.” explained the Captain.

The fire was declared under control 15 minutes after arrival. The house was unoccupied at the time of the fire and is being renovated by new owners before they move in. The fire destroyed the pick-up truck and caused extensive damage to the garage. There was minor fire damage in the adjacent kitchen with smoke damage throughout the inside of the structure.
An investigator from the Oceanside Fire Department responded to the scene in order to determine the cause of the fire. While the investigation is ongoing, the cause currently appears to be accidental with the fire originating in the engine compartment of the pick-up. There were no injuries to firefighters and the dog was safely reunited with the owners.
Damage has been estimated at $50,000, including the destroyed pick-up.
Oceanside Battalion Chief, Peter Lawrence said a total of 22 fire personnel responded to the incident with 4 Engines, 1 Truck, 1 Ambulance, 1 Squad, 1 Investigator and mutual aid from a Vista Fire Department Battalion Chief.