One person was hospitalized and several dogs received emergency aid following a fire on the eighth floor of a high-rise building in National City early Monday.
The National City Fire Department received a notice of a ringing alarm around 3:40 a.m. and responded to a high-rise building on the 800 block of National City Boulevard. There, firefighters noticed smoke coming from a unit on the eighth floor and evacuated the 13-story building as they battled the blaze, according to Robert Hernandez, Battalion Chief of the National City Fire Department. There are 170 units in the building, NBC 7 was told. It's unclear how many residents live in the building.
San Diego News
Video from the scene showed firefighters carrying at least one person to safety. Hernandez confirmed the occupant of the unit where the fire came from was lifted out of the structure by crews and hospitalized due to unspecified injuries. Later in the day, a battalion chief told NBC 7 that the woman was expected to OK after treatment.
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Firefighters were told there were at least three dogs in the burning unit and all made it out of the high-rise safely. One dog was given oxygen by a firefighter and all three dogs were treated with first aid. They are now under the care of the National City Police Department, according to Hernandez.
In addition to the burning unit, three other units were under extensive water damage and the residents of those homes will be displaced until further notice. The residents are being assisted by the Red Cross, officials said.
Firefighters were able to make quick work of the blaze, the battalion chief said, in no small due to their quick response and the fact that the sprinkler system effectiveness.
It is unclear what started the fire. The investigation is ongoing.
