A fire sparked in the garage of duplex in Oceanside Wednesday morning, sending heavy, dark smoke billowing into a neighborhood.
The blaze broke out just after 6 a.m. at a home in the 3200 block of Buena Hills Drive. Crews arrived on scene quickly and began tackling fire.
Crews were met with several challenges, including a parked car blocking access to the garage. The City of Oceanside Fire Department said the garage door was an older, wooden door instead of a roll-up one, so that also caused some delay in accessing the fire.
Firefighters entered the garage through a door near the kitchen area of the residence. A hole was cut into the roof to allow hot gases and smoke to escape from the attic area, officials said.
After moving the car parked near the garage crews were able to tackle the blaze more directly through the garage door, too, officials said.
The fire was knocked out within 40 minutes.
The Oceanside Fire Department said the garage was filled with storage items stacked up to the roof line, including books and cardboard boxes full of items, which added fuel to the fire. An older refrigerator was inside the garage as well, which investigators believe was the root of the fire.
Officials said both homes in the duplex sustained electrical damage in the fire. Damage is estimated at approximately $50,000 to the structure and $25,000 for the contents. The residents were not home at the time of the blaze and no one was injured.
The displaced residents were assisted by the American Red Cross.
A total of 20 firefighters, four engines, 1 truck and two battalion chiefs joined in the effort to fight this fire, the Oceanside Fire Department said, including crews from Vista Fire.