A two-alarm blaze broke out early Thursday morning and burned for more than four hours at an auto shop in the Kearny Mesa area, prompting the evacuation of a nearby animal hospital, authorities said.
The non-injury blaze was reported around 1:30 a.m. at the Off Road Warehouse, 7915 Balboa Ave., San Diego Fire-Rescue Battalion Chief David Pilkerton said.
Crews responded to the scene and began dousing the flames inside the two-story building, but around 1:50 a.m. they switched to a defensive response, fighting the blaze from the exterior because the flames had grown too large to fight the fire from inside, he said.
A veterinary hospital next door was evacuated as crews battled the flames and county animal services personnel were called in to assist the animals, Pilkerton said.
Crews prevented the fire from spreading to nearby buildings and knocked down the flames around 5:55 a.m., Pilkerton said.
Cause of the fire was under investigation.
— City News Service
