Cat Killed in $350K Rancho Penasquitos Trailer Fire

Fire officials said coals left unattended in a fire pit caused $350,000 in damage Saturday to a trailer and an adjacent home in the 1100 block of Meknes Way near Nawa Way in Rancho Peñasquitos.

No one was injured, but a family cat perished in the blaze, to which firefighters responded to at 10:07 a.m., San Diego Fire-Rescue spokesman Maurice Luque said.

"A fire pit that had active coals in it ignited an enclosed trailer," Luque said."The trailer was a ball of fire, which then spread into the eaves of the house destroying the first-floor bedroom. There was a lot of smoke damage through the rest of the house."

A second-alarm call for backup units, later rescinded, was sent out by firefighters at 10:32 a.m. when it was feared the blaze threatened nearby homes, Luque said.

"Embers had actually gotten on to the roof of a house across the street and momentarily ignited it," he said.

Luque said about 25 firefighters responded quickly to the blaze.

"The main body of the fire was knocked down within three or four minutes," he said. "The crew did a good job of keeping it from spreading to other houses."

Luque said a husband and wife and their two children were not injured. Their cat however died from smoke inhalation, Luque said.

-City News Service