SAN DIEGO (CNS) - Flames shot from windows and black smoke billowed into the sky as San Diego firefighters battled a house fire of unknown origin Friday morning in Normal Heights, authorities said.
The blaze was reported at 6:43 a.m. inside a single-story home in the 4400 block of 38th Street near the corner of Meade Avenue, just west of state Route 15, San Diego Fire-Rescue Department spokesman Jose Ysea said. Smoke and flames were visible as the first firefighters arrived, but the home was already evacuated.
Dozens of fire engines, water tankers and other emergency personnel responded, and the fire was knocked down by 7:06 a.m., Ysea said. No injuries were immediately reported, according to the spokesman, but firefighters at the scene told dispatchers that an elderly man suffered smoke inhalation, and the man was taken to a hospital for treatment.
San Diego Gas & Electric responded to the home to shut off gas and power, Ysea said. Firefighters told dispatchers they were evacuating several neighboring homes as a precaution.
The American Red Cross was called out to the scene to assist the displaced resident, Ysea said. There was no immediate word on the cause or an estimate of the cost of damage, but investigators were working to determine what sparked the blaze.
