San Diego

Ramona Family β€˜Left With Nothing' After Fire Levels Home

A grandmother and her 1-year-old grandchild were in the home at the time the fire started

A house in Ramona caught on fire and sent thick, black smoke into the air north of Mt. Woodson Monday afternoon.

Cal Fire San Diego crews were called to Salida Del Sol neighborhood in Ramona just after 1 p.m. for a home engulfed in flames. 

The home was located three miles northwest of Mt. Woodson Golf Course.

The neighborhood is west of State Route 67, northeast of Blue Sky Ecological Reserve and south of the San Diego Zoo Safari Park.

Fire investigators say it could be difficult to determine the cause because of the strong winds and the amount of water that was dumped on the home by helicopters. The home was destroyed.

Firefighters told NBC 7 they treated the fire just like they would if it had been burning in brush.

A grandmother and her 1-year-old grandchild were in the home at the time the fire started. Neither were injured.

"She went outside and saw the fire. She was going to get the garden hose and try and put it out but it just took over," Patrice Doona, the homeowner and mother to the child, told NBC 7.

Doona said her mother had to call their neighbor to come pick them up because they had no way out.

She said her family lost everything and was only left with the clothes on their backs.

A GoFundMe page was created for the family Tuesday.

β€œThe hardship one faces with the catastrophic loss of all personal possessions is inconceivable,” the post said.

The page said the homeowner is a veteran who served as a combat medic in the U.S. Army.

A red flag warning and a high wind warning were in effect for the region Monday as Santa Ana conditions brought unusually strong winds and low humidity levels.

The current relative humidity in San Diego County's inland valleys is an estimated 6 percent with foothills at 8 percent. 

A Cal Fire helicopter is making water drops on the burning structure.

No other information was available.

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