Updated at 12:20 p.m. Jan. 25, 2018
A fire of unknown origin damaged an East County apartment building Thursday, leaving eight people in need of emergency shelter and causing an estimated $300,000 worth of monetary losses.
The blaze in the 200 block of Jamacha Road in El Cajon erupted about 8:30 a.m., said Sonny Saghera, spokesman for Heartland Fire & Rescue.
Everyone inside the structure was able to safely evacuate prior to the arrival of firefighters, Saghera said. It took the crews about eight minutes to subdue the flames.
Though the personnel were able to confine the flames to a second-floor unit, the residence below it sustained water damage, Saghera said.
The American Red Cross was called in to help the displaced residents — four adults and four children — arrange for interim housing.
The cause of the fire was under investigation.
—City News Service
