A house fire ruined a Bonita man’s plans Tuesday.
The man was planning on going to a cruise to Alaska on Wednesday when his kitchen caught on fire. The fire started around 2:30 p.m. in the 4600 block of Schaumberg Place, Chula Vista Fire Department Batallion Chief David Albright said.
Firefighters from four agencies responded, including CVFD and Bonita Fire Department, he said.
It was unclear what caused the fire, Albright said. No one was home at the time of the fire, the homeowner told a news photographer at the scene.
The homeowner said he left his luggage on the stove before heading out Tuesday.
“That’s plausible (that that could cause the fire) — that’s the kitchen area,” Albright said. “That’s would cause a fire if the stove was somehow turned on but we will have to wait for the investigations play out to determine the cause.”
Firefighters initially had a hard time entering the house to fight the fire. They had to break the door down but once inside, it took less than 15 minutes to put the fire out, Albright said.
The fire caused $250,000 in damage from smoke, heat and water.