A deputy suffered smoke inhalation injuries Tuesday evening after she ran through a cloud of smoke to see if anyone was inside a burning Solana Beach home.
San Diego County Sheriff's Department deputies and firefighters responded to a home around 7:45 p.m. on the 300 block of Santa Helena, north of Lomas Santa Fe Drive, SDSO said.
Homeowner Jennifer Young was with her family in her backyard when they started smelling smoke. They ran to the front yard and saw smoke coming from the garage.
The plume consumed the entire front yard and even spread to nearby Interstate 5, causing visibility issues that led to a brief traffic backup.
Young's husband ran inside to grab her dogs while everyone else got to a safe distance in the street.
A SDSO deputy ran through the smoke-filled front yard to see if anyone was inside the garage or home, according to Young. The deputy was overwhelmed by the smoke but made it out on her own.
The garage was used mainly for storage, but Young said it was also her "she shed" where she liked to paint. A space heater lit the carpet on fire, according to Young.
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"There is a lot of work that is literally up in smoke but I am so grateful to the city of Del Mar, Solana Beach, everyone just came to our rescue and everybody is safe, no one is hurt," she said.
An Encinitas Fire Department Battalion Chief said the fire was knocked down in about 20 minutes. The fire was contained to the garage and did not spread, firefighters said.
Neighboring homes were also evacuated due to the fire and smoke.
Roads were closed at Santa Helena and Lomas Santa Fe Drive.
The incident was being investigated as an accident, and investigators were working to determine if the home was still safe to live in.
The Solana Beach and Del Mar fire departments responded to the fire.
