Early Friday morning, flames erupted in the East Village, where a fire broke out on the eighth floor of the St. Teresa de Calcutta Villa, a residential high-rise. According to the Times of San Diego, the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department was alerted to the emergency at 5:19 a.m., discovering heavy smoke that triggered the building's alarm systems. Amid the chaos, a patient was rushed to Sharp Memorial Hospital with injuries whose nature remains undisclosed.
The fire, confined to a single residence on the eighth floor, demanded a vigorous response as the sprinkler system activated, and a second alarm was requested at 5:23 a.m. A substantial amount of resources were required, deploying a total of 80 personnel to manage the blaze, according to the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department's incident page. Firefighters from neighboring National City and Coronado also lent a hand in the firefighting efforts.
Residents of the affected and adjacent floors were quickly evacuated from the premises for their safety. The SDFRD crews worked swiftly and efficiently, knocking down the fire by 5:32 a.m. After ensuring that the high-rise was secure for reentry, those displaced by the incident began to filter back into the building around an hour later.
The crews were not done till 6:34 a.m., staying on top of the situation through a thorough ventilation and water removal process. Moreover, the Red Cross was also assigned to assist in the aftermath of the fire. The SDFRD has expressed its gratitude for the support provided by the other cities involved in their public statement.
