A fire tore through a home near Alvarado Hospital on Tuesday, leaving six people and a menagerie of snakes and other exotic pets in need of emergency shelter.
The non-injury blaze erupted shortly before 11 a.m. in the 6800 block of Julie Street, near 69th Street in the College area, according to the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department.
A resident who had just gotten out of the shower smelled something burning, checked his garage and found it filled with flames and smoke, SDFRD Capt. Joe Amador said. The man hurried outside and called 911.
The man’s dog also ran outside and disappeared into the neighborhood, Amador said.
It took engine crews about a half-hour to subdue the fire, which sent a column of thick smoke into the air just east of San Diego State University.
Firefighters summoned animal-control personnel to handle a pet rattlesnake that was among a collection of reptiles, a tarantula and at least one fish being kept at the home. None of the creatures appeared to have suffered any ill effects from the blaze, but the escaped dog remained missing in the late afternoon, Amador said.
Investigators set the monetary losses at $300,000, a figure that included damage to the home, its contents, two cars and a neighbor’s wall.
The cause of the blaze remained undetermined as of 5 p.m., the fire captain said.
The American Red Cross was called in to help the displaced residents arrange for temporary housing.
— City News Service
