A woman escaped injury from an electrical fire in her home in the College Area early Tuesday morning, but her dog and two cats died, and the blaze caused $300,000 in damage, fire officials said.
Heavy smoke and flames were seen coming out of the windows as firefighters arrived at the single story house on the 4900 block of 72nd Street near El Cajon Boulevard on the border with La Mesa at about 1:40 a.m., according to San Diego Fire Rescue Department spokesman Lee Swanson.
A tow truck driver from the towing company next door helped the woman, a senior citizen who uses a walker, escape the flames. He then towed her car out of the driveway to keep it from getting damaged, Swanson said.
It took firefighters from San Diego and La Mesa about 20 minutes to extinguish the fire, he said.
Fire investigators determined the cause to be electrical. Damage to the 1,000 square-foot house was estimated at $200,000 and the contents $100,00, Swanson said.
The American Red Cross also responded to help the woman find temporary housing.
—City News Service