POWAY ---- The manager of a burning Wendy's fast-food restaurant tried to put out the fire Wednesday and then quickly evacuated everyone as flames gutted the building, officials said.
The manager, suffering from chest pains, was later taken to Pomerado Hospital, along with a restaurant employee who suffered smoke inhalation, fire Division Chief Jon Canavan said. Their conditions and names weren't available.
"The manager did a tremendous job," said Canavan. "It was actually heroic in his thought process. We do know the manager made sure there was no one in the building before he left."
A San Diego firefighter tripped and fell during the action, he said. The wounded fireman was taken to an urgent care center for treatment of shoulder pain.
Sheriff's arson investigators were trying to determine the cause of the fire at 13010 Poway Road, focusing on appliances in the kitchen area. Canavan said the restaurant is a total loss.
The Wendy's manager tried to put the fire out with an extinguisher, then evacuated customers and employees, even checking restrooms, the fire official said. The manager then told drivers in the drive-through lane to leave.
Busy Poway Road was shut down temporarily as firetrucks from Poway and San Diego responded to the 10:55 a.m. blaze. Karen Tiedman, a veterinarian's assistant who works across the street, saw smoke billowing up.
"It looked like the entire back was in flames," Tiedman said.
Firefighters attacked the raging fire inside the building at first, with huge flames boiling overhead in the attic.
Intense heat and concern that the roof might collapse forced fire crews outside 25 minutes later, Canavan said. Shortly after that, the roof fell into the blazing building.
It took an hour to knock down the fire and two more hours to fully contain it, Canavan said.
