Firefighters were able to quickly extinguish a fire that sparked at a high-rise complex in Pacific Beach Sunday.
According to officials, the blaze began around 2 p.m. on the third floor of the 14-story Capri by the Sea complex located at 4767 Ocean Blvd.
Within minutes, crews had the blaze surrounded and contained.
Battalion Chief John Strock said the fire started in the kitchen of a third floor unit but crews were able to get to it before it could spread to other areas. The damage caused by the fire, he said, was limited to the kitchen.
Strock said nobody was inside the unit at the time of the fire. As a precaution he said firefighters evacuated residents in adjacent units while they worked to extinguish the flames.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation, but Strock believes it could be attributed to a malfunction in the microwave inside the kitchen.
“The kitchen area is full of things that can start fires and it’s very common to get a fire started in the kitchen area,” he said.
Ultimately, Strock said firefighters got lucky that the blaze was on the third floor of the building rather than any higher up, given the huge risk of a high-rise fire.
“This was on the third floor, so we were lucky. If it had been on the thirteenth floor it would have taken a lot longer to get to and better chance for that fire to extend and create more damage,” explained Strock.
He said the lesson to take from this is to be aware of your surroundings, especially in a high-rise building.
“If you’re in a high rise building, know how to get out. Know where the exits are and the easiest way out,” he warned.
