Overnight Fire Guts Abandoned CA Building
By Karen Kucher
Source The San Diego Union-Tribune
A two-alarm fire destroyed an abandoned building in the East Village early Tuesday and arson investigators were called out to try to determine how it started, officials said.
The fire was spotted just before 1 a.m. at the fenced-off property on Park Boulevard near Broadway in space that formerly housed a restaurant and market. By time firefighters arrived, they could see flames coming through the roof of the building.
"Crews on a medical call saw it from a distance and called it in," said Battalion Chief Jeff Mitchell.
San Diego Fire- Rescue officials decided it wasn't safe to enter the burning structure so crews worked to keep the fire from spreading to nearby buildings.
A second alarm was called about 10 minutes after crews first arrived and most of the blaze was knocked down by 2:15 a.m., fire officials said.
Police shut down F Street and 13th Street as firefighters worked. A nearby building also was evacuated as a precaution, a police spokesman said.
No injuries were reported.
The building has been red tagged and is considered a total loss.
Investigators with the Metro Arson Strike Team were called out to try to figure out what sparked the fire. The cause so far is undetermined, officials said.
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