Oceanside CA— At 8:08 p.m. Sunday evening, September 9, 2018, units from the Oceanside Fire Department and the Oceanside Police Department were dispatched to 4000 block Via Los Padres for a possible fight between roommates. These Oceanside Fire Department units were initially requested to stand-by until the Oceanside Police Department could secure scene safety; however, the first arriving Oceanside Police Officers found an uncooperative resident and noticed fire within the structure. The call was then quickly upgraded to a structure fire.

A working fire dispatch of four engines, one ladder truck, and one medic unit responded to the scene. “The first unit on the scene found moderate smoke coming from the open doorways and eaves of the home,” said Oceanside Fire Department Division Chief, David Parsons. “The crews initiated an interior fire attack plus search and rescue activities and were able to get a pretty quick knockdown of the fire. Additional fire resources were dispatched to assist in accessing the roof which we didn’t need to ventilate, switching off utilities and a rescue ambulance to assess a patient who was within the residence when the fire began. The patient was originally thought to have burn injuries but did not and didn’t require transport but was taken into custody by Oceanside Police.”

 
Fire control and search and rescue took approximately 27 minutes and no victims were found within the residence.
The whereabouts of one roommate who was not home at the time is unknown, and the other party involved will be staying with a nearby friend. Property saved is estimated to be $470,000 with damage approximately $50,000.

An Oceanside Fire Department fire investigator is working with the Oceanside Police Department’s investigator to determine cause, origin, and whether this was arson of a structure. The patient who was released into police custody is being questioned regarding their involvement in the fire. The investigation is ongoing and official determination is pending completion.

“It was a pretty quick, rapid fire attack that took care of the problem. The crews made a great stop,” said Chief Parsons. Twenty-one firefighters responded to the incident with additional agency assistance provided by the Vista Fire Department and San Diego Gas and Electric.