SAN DIEGO (CNS) - Crews who fought a Kensington-area house fire Tuesday had to maneuver through extreme amounts of clutter stacked throughout the Spanish-style residence, blocking doors and windows, a spokesman said.
The blaze in the 5000 block of Marlborough Drive erupted for unknown reasons just before 11 a.m. and was extinguished within about 10 minutes, according to San Diego Fire-Rescue Department spokesman Maurice Luque.
The two residents in the home at the time - an 87-year-old man and his 54-year-old son - escaped unharmed, he said.
Firefighters had difficulty getting to the flames, which were spreading in the rear of the home, due to piles of boxes, newspapers, magazines and other assorted items standing "floor to ceiling" throughout, as well as in the back yard, according to Luque.
"It's a hoarding issue," the spokesman said.
The crews were able to confine the fire to two bedrooms, though they had to cut holes in the roof to ventilate heat and smoke.
The cause of the non-injury fire, which appeared to be accidental in origin, was under investigation, Luque said.
