Updated at 3:17 P.M., Sunday Feb. 21
An elderly man was overcome by smoke in his burning apartment in North Park in an early-morning fire on Sunday.
Smoke and flames were pouring out of windows and a door when San Diego Fire-Rescue workers saw pulled up to the two-story apartment complex, at 3762 Arnold Ave., near Landis and Wightman Streets, shortly after 7 a.m.
It took about 20 minutes to put out the fire, according to San Diego Fire Rescue spokesman Lee Swanson.
The man was in critical condition with burn injuries and taken to the UC San Diego Medical Center’s burn unit. A dog and a cat in the apartment, locked in crates, were killed in the fire, Swanson said.
Four residents of two adjacent apartment units were displaced by the fire. Two of them were assisted by the American Red Cross in finding a place to relocate.
Fire damage was contained to one apartment, with some water damage to a first-floor garage and minor smoke damage to another apartment. Residents of five apartment units were displaced by the fire.
Fire investigators had not yet determined the cause of the blaze, but estimated the damage to be $250,000 to the apartment and $100,000 to its contents, according to Swanson.
— City News Service
