San Diego

Fire Sparks at Travelodge Hotel in San Ysidro, Displaces Dozens

Crews worked to board up and repair over a dozen hotel rooms damaged in a two-alarm fire at a Travelodge Motel in San Ysidro Wednesday night.

After a caller reported seeing light smoke at the motel around 7 a.m. Thursday morning, crews returned to the motel for a short time.

More than a dozen guests were displaced when a fire sparked inside the attic of a motel room at about 8:45 p.m. Wednesday on Calle Primera near Sycamore Road, according to the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department (SDFD).

Black charred marks were visible on the roof above the area where the fire started. Up to 15 rooms were damaged from water, fire or smoke exposure as the firefighters worked to extinguish the flames.

When firefighters arrived on scene, heavy smoke was seen coming out of the two-story motel. The fire started inside a room on the second floor of the motel, causing the room to collapse.

Some motel guests told firefighters they heard a popping noise shortly before the fire. Firefighters evacuated approximately 50 people from the motel. One woman, who was unaccounted for at the time the fire broke out, was later found safe.

One of the motel guests staying at the Travelodge that NBC 7 spoke with, which is a relatively large motel, was not aware that a fire was happening.

"It was a bit frightening because I did see it on the news and I didn't realize...I'm from Australia and I'm not used to the area," said Ilin Dawws, a motel guest at the Travelodge. "And I didn't realize it was in my motel. I just caught the end of it."

The fire was knocked down around 9:33 p.m. and no injuries were reported. The owner of the motel was on scene, helping those who were displaced to find housing, according to SDFD. The cause of the fire was undetermined.

Fire officials estimate damage to the structure at approximately $1 million. No other information was immediately available.

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