Investigators in North County are working to determine what caused a fire that gutted a Rubio’s Coastal Grill overnight.
The blaze was reported shortly after midnight at the restaurant in the 4200 block of Oceanside Boulevard.
When firefighters arrived, they could see smoke pouring out the roof and the main entrance to the restaurant, Oceanside Fire officials said in a news release issued early on Thursday afternoon. To better fight the fire, crews cut open vent holes in the roof in an effort to release superheated gasses and smoke, but the firefighters inside the building continued to encounter large amounts of smoke yet were unable to see any flames.
About 25 minutes after OFD arrived, senior personnel made the decision, in the interests of safety to pull the firefighters off the roof and out of the building while pouring water on the structure from outside.
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At this point, investigators said, the roof partially collapsed. Eventually, it caved in completely, along with portions of all four walls.
Firefighters extinguished the flames by 4:30 a.m., but by then the building was a total loss.
No one was hurt by the blaze, according to officials, nor were any other structures damaged.
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Investigator have not yet released a cause for the fire.
