A fire that apparently was sparked by a malfunctioning refrigerator in a garage caused an estimated $75,000 worth of damage Wednesday to a duplex near Mira Costa College and left four people in need of emergency housing.
The non-injury blaze in the 3200 block of Buena Hills Drive erupted about 6 a.m., according to the Oceanside Fire Department.
Crews arrived to find heavy smoke issuing from one of the garages attached to the multi-unit residential building, Battalion Chief Felipe Rodriguez said. A vehicle parked directly in front of the swing-up wooden door to the carport hampered the personnel’s ability to immediately access the source of the fire, he said.
It took firefighters about 40 minutes to extinguish the flames.
The American Red Cross was called in to help the residents of one of the units arrange for lodging. The other two displaced people reported that they would be able to stay with relatives, Rodriguez said.
Investigators set the monetary losses at $50,000 to the structure and $25,000 to contents.
Firefighters from Vista aided Oceanside crews in extinguishing the blaze, the battalion chief said.
— City News Service