Breaking News Midnight: Calle Corte house fire causes $450K damages, family escapes injury
A quiet night by the fireplace turned into a nearly half-million dollar fire at a $3 million house in the 17000 block of Calle Corte around 8:45 p.m. Sunday.
A family at the residence was chilling by the fireplace when they first spotted the smoke monster emerging from the attic through the house walls, Rancho Santa Fe fire officials said.
“The owner tried to put it out himself with an extinguisher and a garden hose,” said Rancho Santa Fe Fire chief Tony Michel. “But he called 9-1-1 when he realized it was bigger than he had thought.”
Some two alarms, eight fire engines, two ladder trucks, one medical unit, one rehab unit, a battalion chief, and 40 minutes later, firefighters from Rancho Santa Fe and Solana Beach subdued the blaze. They stuck around through 11 p.m. to make certain no more hot spots would emerge.
Nobody was injured. Damage was estimated at around $450,000. The exact cause of the fire is under investigation.
