NBC

Ammunition Rounds ‘Pop' as La Mesa Home Burns

Ammunition rounds began going off as a fire burned a La Mesa home late Thursday night.

“I heard a pop or two, super loud,” said Chelsea Banales, a resident in the area.

When crews arrived on Maple Avenue, they had difficulty accessing the house because of the large flames.

Crews also had to pull back when they saw big flashes.

Authorities said the homeowners had stored ammunition rounds in their home when the fire caused them to go off.

Neighbors began spotting a La Mesa home fire as it lit up the skyline late Thursday night. Video courtesy of Jerry Jones.

“When you come down the street, it was just all fire, you couldn’t even see down,” Banales said. “The whole skyline, right there, was just flame and smoke blowing over and spreading out.”

The blaze was called in at 11:30 p.m. Thursday. It has since been extinguished.

Fortunately, no one was home at the time, according to the mother of the homeowners, Sandra Mendyk.

Mendyk, told NBC 7 her son and daughter-in-law were on vacation at the time of the fire. The couple has dogs but they were not home either.

She said she first heard about the blaze from her son. She said her son probably heard about it from his neighbors.

The couple returned to their home after 6 a.m. Friday to tour the damages.

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