A pet bird died inside a house fire in Spring Valley Wednesday.
The San Diego County Sheriff's Department's Bomb Arson unit is investigating what started the fire just before 11 p.m. on Correa Lane.
The man who lives inside the home watched crews battle the fire from the sidewalk outside.
He said he grabbed cages of his 30 birds one by one, trying to save them.
Neighbors here question whether this fire was set on purpose. They say the home has been in foreclosure for a couple of years and went up for auction on Wednesday.
The homeowner, who identified himself to NBC 7 as Bob, said he lost the most important thing in the fire - his cockatiel named Mr. Gurgles.
"I don't see what personal gain I can get out of this I can see what person tragedy I can get out of this, because now I gotta deal with this mess," he said.
Local
Three birds died in the fire. The others were sent to the homes of friends.
Firefighters from San Miguel, Bonita and San Diego extinguished the fire.
