SAN DIEGO COUNTY, Calif. — Two residents were killed and two others suffered minor injuries Monday morning when a two-alarm blaze ripped through a La Jolla home, authorities said. Neighbors told News 8 that a multi-generational family of four reside at the home.
The fire was reported around 3:45 a.m. at a two-story house on Caminito La Paz, a dead-end street off Hidden Valley Road south of La Jolla Parkway, according to the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department.
Firefighters arrived at the scene and found smoke and flames coming from the house's second story, SDFD said.
Crews tried to enter the home but had to back off because of the intensity of the fire and the structure collapsing inside, which caused firefighters to go into defensive mode. Nearby homes were evacuated as crews battled the blaze.
Firefighters knocked down the flames around 5:05 a.m., but crews remained on scene through the morning for overhaul, SDFRD spokesman Alec Phillipp said.
Hours later, firefighters searched the damaged home and discovered two bodies inside, Phillipp said.
"Two deceased individuals have been located and crews are in the process of removing them from the home," he said about 10 a.m.
Two other residents were taken earlier to UCSD Hillcrest hospital for treatment of minor injuries, Phillipp said.
The cause of the blaze was under investigation.