Cars Catch Fire Under Apartment Complex

Residents were evacuated from a four-story apartment complex in University City Wednesday morning after two cars caught fire in the parking garage.

The fire was reported at 5:16 a.m. at the La Jolla International Gardens Apartment Complex on Lebon Drive.

“A lot of smoke, a lot of noise," Daniel Anthony said. He was one of the first to see the flames. "I hit the alarm on the wall and then I started waking up my neighbors."

About 200 residents evacuated, including John Monfort who had just returned from a trip.

"I got in about 10 p.m. and the fire alarm went off somewhere around 5 o'clock or so, as I remember," he said.

It took firefighters a while to knock down the flames.

"Because of all the gasoline that was flowing downhill on fire -- streams of gasoline coming at them and oil and as soon as they'd put it out, it would flare back up again," San Diego Fire and Rescue spokesperson Maurice Luque said.

By daybreak everyone was allowed back into their home.

The cause of the fire was under investigation. No one was hurt.

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