SAN DIEGO (CNS) - A plumber's soldering torch sparked a fire that damaged several units at a Point Loma apartment building Tuesday, forcing several hundred residents to evacuate, authorities reported.
The non-injury blaze at the four-story Pacific Isle complex in the 3000 block of Rue D'Orleans erupted in a third-floor bathroom shortly after 2:30 p.m., according to the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department.
The flames spread inside a wall and up into another residence before crews could douse them, a process that took roughly 20 minutes, SDFRD spokesman Maurice Luque said.
About 200 people were cleared out of the structure's eastern wing while firefighters worked to extinguish the blaze.