Fire Sparks Near Middle School

Firefighters battled a fire in the backyard of a Carlsbad home Wednesday

A middle school in Carlsbad was evacuated early Wednesday after a fire sparked in the backyard of a nearby home.

Shortly after classes began, the principal of Valley Middle School located at Highland Drive and Tamarack Avenue evacuated 1000-plus students to a neighboring school across the street as a precaution due to the brushfire that ignited directly behind the school.

Firefighters responded just after 8 a.m., including five units from the Carlsbad Fire Department. The fire started in the backyard of a private residence. A tree caught fire in the canyon near the school, spreading to nearby brush according to a school official.

There were moments when several surrounding structures were threatened, but fire crews were able to knock the fire down quickly. Firefighters said the fire sparked near three VW bug engine blocks in a nearby yard. The magnesium in the engine blocks caught on fire and big flames shot up.


The fire chief says the flames caused quite a show and the incident was a close call. He urges people to be careful about fire dangers.
 

The cause of the fire is under investigation. There were no injuries.
 

Officials said Valley Middle School students were held across the street until the air quality on school grounds improved.
 

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