About 100 San Diego firefighters collaborated to knock down a three-alarm fire Wednesday afternoon that started on the roof of an Italian restaurant and scorched a mixed-use Hillcrest apartment complex next door.
Smoke and flames at the aged third-story wooden building were visible from all sides on the southern side of the 1000 block of University Ave., where the aggressive fire was reported at 3:10 p.m. and ultimately caused about $1 million in damage, said Maurice Luque, San Diego Fire and Rescue spokesman.
The fire started on the roof of Buonissimo 2 at 1027 University Ave. while construction crews were on the roof. It is unclear what sparked it, but the winds carried the flames to an apartment complex that houses 12 units and has Obelisk, a bookstore, on the ground floor, Luque said.
Surrounding units sustained heavy smoke and water damage. There were no known injuries.
At 3:24 p.m., firefighters were pulled from the building to take a defensive approach to the flames, hosing it from above with multiple ladders.
A third alarm requesting additional firefighter assistance was called at about 3:40 p.m.
At 5 p.m., firefighters requested a strike team of four additional engines for structure and building protection. The fire was knocked down at about 6:30 p.m.
San Diego police was also on scene for traffic control.
