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| Fire in La Mesa - 70th Street |
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 UPDATE: **(Information)**. 2 Alarm Fire In The City Of La Mesa Still Under Investigation – Updated Information – July 9, 2011 (12:00 p.m.) Fire investigators are still on the scene of yesterday’s structure fire on 70th Street. The exact cause of the fire is still not determined - but the fire appears to be suspicious in nature. Fire crews have not been able to enter the structures due to the poor conditions caused by clutter/hoarding issues. A request was made for an Arson K-9 team from San Diego Fire, they have been on the scene. The arson dog will be sniffing for any accelerants - any signs of possible flammable liquids. Damage estimates, although the property was in poor condition, damage has been estimated at $600,000. (for property, contents, and vehicles) La Mesa Police have been investigating this as well. Please contact them for more on their investigation. This property has had code enforcement issues, La Mesa Fire has apparently responded to past medical calls to this property. The residents in the rear apartment unit were in the process of being evicted. La Mesa Police would have more on this person and the owner who lived in the front house. Please contact them for this information. We’ll let you know when more information becomes available. Thank you, Monica Zech Public Information Officer Heartland Fire & Rescue (619) 843-7218 - cell At 5:21 p.m. Friday afternoon Heartland Fire & Rescue – La Mesa crews responded to a structure fire in the 4-thousand block of 70th Street in the City of La Mesa. Plumes of smoke could be seen in the distance as crews responded to the scene. Upon arrival firefighters found a two-story apartment unit to the rear of a single story home, at 4759 – 70th Street, showing heavy smoke and flames. This soon ignited the single story home as well. Due to the intensity of the fire, crews took a defensive stance pouring water from above from two ladder trucks, assisted by 7 engines on the ground. This fast attack kept flames from reaching nearby homes. About 30 firefighters had the fire contained in about an hour. No injuries were reported. What did slow the knock down of the fire itself was the large amount of clutter found in both the home, and in the garage areas of the rear apartment units. There were also several abandoned vehicles scattered throughout the property. The cause of the fire is now under investigation. The home and rear apartment units are considered a total loss. Damage estimates have not yet been determined. Heartland Fire & Rescue crews in La Mesa, were assisted by Heartland fire crews from Lemon Grove, Santee Fire and San Diego Fire. No injuries were sustained by firefighters. Note: Hoarding is a growing concern and hazard for firefighters. This type of clutter, not only creates egress and ingress issues for evacuating occupants, but it can also delay fire crews from entering the structure. Exits are often blocked and rooms are filled to the ceiling with stacks of belongings that can easily fall over and entrap firefighters. |
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