A fire engulfed a smoke shop in Escondido last Friday evening, causing extensive damage to the establishment and affecting neighboring businesses. The incident at the Lung Doctor Smoke Shop on South Escondido Boulevard near Ninth Avenue was first reported at approximately 7:15 PM, according to the Escondido Firefighters' social media post and corroborated by the San Diego Union-Tribune. Fire crews, aided by neighboring departments from San Marcos, Ranch Santa Fe, and San Diego City, contained the blaze to the shop while preventing further spread to the entire strip mall.
As units arrived on the scene, they discovered the vape shop within a commercial strip mall fully involved. A second alarm was swiftly requested, given the potential danger to surrounding units, leading to a robust defensive effort. The initial response, which included executing a "defensive strip cut", was integral in isolating the fire to the origin unit, as per the Instagram post provided by the firefighter crew from Escondido. Crews knocked down the flames in about 30 minutes, although the operation continued until around 9:30 PM, to ensure complete safety.
No injuries were reported among firefighters or civilians regarding the fire itself. However, during the incident, a patrol technician from the Escondido Police Department was struck by a suspected drunk driver while controlling traffic. "The smoke shop is a total loss," Escondido Fire Department spokesperson Jeff Murdock told The San Diego Union-Tribune. Adjacent businesses experienced varying degrees of impact, with one suffering extensive smoke damage, and another, a liquor store, reopening within hours after power was restored.
Further complicating the night's events was the DUI suspect who navigated through a closed intersection, colliding with a police pickup truck and another parked vehicle. Inside the struck truck, equipped with a yellow light bar for traffic control, was the technician, who sustained injuries of unknown severity and was subsequently hospitalized for evaluation. Police Lt. Lee Stewart said the technician had been involved in crowd and traffic management related to the fire when the incident occurred. The implicated driver was arrested on suspicion of DUI following the crash, according to the reports by The San Diego Union-Tribune.
Investigations are ongoing to determine the cause of the fire. Firefighters encountered explosions inside the smoke shop, which, as later identified, were caused by butane oil cans used to fill lighters. Authorities expect to release more details as the investigation progresses.
