ENCINITAS (CBS 8) - A gas explosion is to blame for a raging fire that destroyed a North County fast food restaurant, according to fire officials.
The explosion sparked a 2-alarm fire around 8:35p.m. Thursday at the McDonald's restaurant on Encinitas Boulevard near El Camino Real. After the initial blast, gas continued to escape, feeding the flames and making the blaze difficult for fire crews to fight. Flames about ten- to 15-feet high shot out of the roof of the building.
San Diego Gas & Electric showed up to the scene to shut off the gas so firefighters could knock down the fire. It took more than 50 firefighters about two and a half hours to get the fire under control.
Fire crews were able to stop the flames from spreading to nearby businesses, but some had minor smoke and heat damage. Firefighters were mopping up the last hot spots around 11:00p.m. Thursday night.
The McDonald's restaurant is a total loss. Damage is estimated at $500,000 by the fire marshal.
There were no reports of injuries.