Heavy Smoke Seen For Miles From Today's Fire
At 5:21 p.m. Friday afternoon Heartland Fire & Rescue – La Mesa crews responded to a structure fire in the 4-thousand block of 70th Street in the City of La Mesa. Plumes of smoke could be seen in the distance as crews responded to the scene. Upon arrival firefighters found a two-story apartment unit to the rear of a single story home, at 4759 – 70th Street, showing heavy smoke and flames. This soon ignited the single story home as well. Due to the intensity of the fire, crews took a defensive stance pouring water from above from two ladder trucks, assisted by 7 engines on the ground. This fast attack kept flames from reaching nearby homes. About 30 firefighters had the fire contained in about an hour. No injuries were reported.
What did slow the knock down of the fire itself was the large amount of clutter found in both the home, and in the garage areas of the rear apartment units. There were also several abandoned vehicles scattered throughout the property.
The cause of the fire is now under investigation. The home and rear apartment units are considered a total loss. Damage estimates have not yet been determined. Heartland Fire & Rescue crews in La Mesa, were assisted by Heartland fire crews from Lemon Grove, Santee Fire and San Diego Fire. No injuries were sustained by firefighters.
Note: Hoarding is a growing concern and hazard for firefighters. This type of clutter, not only creates egress and ingress issues for evacuating occupants, but it can also delay fire crews from entering the structure. Exits are often blocked and rooms are filled to the ceiling with stacks of belongings that can easily fall over and entrap firefighters.
Thank you,
Monica Zech
Public Information Officer
Heartland Fire & Rescue
Address/Location
Heartland Fire & Rescue
E Lexington Ave
El Cajon, CA 92020
Contact
Emergency: 9-1-1
Non-emergencies: 619-441-1611