Firefighters were called out Tuesday to the Serra Mesa neighborhood of San Diego after a house fire began
The blaze was first reported a little after 1 p.m. in the 3400 block of Angwin Drive.
Crews had the flames knocked down by 1:45, aided by firefighters who had cut large holes in the roof to vent the smoke.
Initially, it was not known if anybody was hurt by the fire.
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"Crews did have reports that there was possibly one elderly person inside," Battalion Chief Tommy Charpentier told NBC 7. "That proved not to be true. Both the homeowners had left the house just prior to the fire starting, and they returned home after getting a call from their neighbor."
Officials said firefighters were told the residents had multiple pets and it's believed that four tortoises and three iguanas were rescued from the home.
The American Red Cross was called in to help the residents of the house arrange for emergency shelter.
Local
Investigators set the damages at $300,000 to the structure and
$150,000 to contents.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
City News Service contributed to this report -- Ed.
