Photos/Story By Richard Kassler

On February 20, 2002, at approximately 1 am, firefighters from the Federal Fire Department and Coronado Fire Department were dispatched to a reported house fire. Prior to units' arrival on the scene the dispatcher received reports from police of a well involved structure.

Four engines, one tower, one rescue, one air/lighting unit and a battalion unit responded to the call.

First due companies arriving found the 1 story building being rapidly consumed by fire. Forced entry was made and rescue operations were initiated. A search yielded a single victim, an elderly man who was found badly burned in the hallway.

Crews worked for approximately 2 hours to bring the fire under control. There were no firefighter injuries to report. The cause of this fire is still under investigation.