Oceanside Home Destroyed in Fire

Five adults and three dogs found themselves displaced Tuesday after a fast-moving electrical fire destroyed an Oceanside home and a vehicle, causing $360,000 in damage, authorities said.

The noninjury fire at 4823 Ventana Way in the San Luis Rey area of Oceanside erupted about 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, according to Oceanside fire Battalion Chief Pete Lawrence. It was brought under control nearly a half-hour later and fully extinguished 20 minutes after that.

When crews arrived, they found the fire was in the home's garage and flames were extending to a vehicle parked in the driveway, he said in a statement. It then quickly spread to the house.

"As crews were working in and around the structure, numerous items were exploding in the intense fire, including propane tanks in the garage and the airbags on a vehicle parked in the driveway," Lawrence said.

All the residents of the home made it out safely on their own but firefighters had to rescue a dog that was hiding under some furniture, he said. The dog was given oxygen at the scene.

Investigators determined that the fire was caused by overloaded electrical wires in the garage, according to Lawrence, who estimated damage at $250,000 for the structure, $100,000 for its contents and $10,000 for the destroyed vehicle.

—City News Service