One person is dead and another is hospitalized after a fire broke out at a Carlsbad home on Saturday afternoon, prompting police to close roads while firefighters battled the flames, according to police.
Carlsbad Fire Department received a report of a fire at a duplex on the 900 block of Pine Ave. just before 2 p.m.
At least three firetrucks responded to the incident. When fire personnel arrived, they found the structure in the back fully-engulfed in flames, according to CFD Battalion Chief Mark Beckert.
At one point during the fire, strong orange flames could be seen through the house's windows ripping through the home and beginning to burn through the roof as large plumes of grey smoke billowed from what remained of the structure.
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On Saturday, Carlsbad police closed eastbound Pine Avenue at Harding Street for the investigation. By Sunday, all roads have reopened, police said.
CFD and the Carlsbad Police Department are investigating the cause of the fire.
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“The person that was transported to the hospital, to the local hospital supposedly jumped out of the second story,” Beckert said.
Fire crews said the home is a duplex with a single-story home in the front and a two-story building in the back. They added that it appears the fire started in the second-story building in the back of the property.
Surrounding homes were evacuated and had some minor damages. Neighbor Tommy Reitz said the place where he had just moved into was also impacted by the fire.
“I saw a bunch of black smoke. Bunch of black smoke,” said Reitz.
"Everybody was out checking out what was going on, my first concern was obviously my kids. Scared, scared because I’m a new daddy and I just wanted to make sure the babies were okay, and everybody was okay too,” Reitz said.
“I talked to one of the fire department people and they said there's significant damage in our apartment. The windows are busted out over there because of the heat," Reitz said.
While Reitz is grateful his family is safe, he’s heartbroken for those who lost a loved one and their home.
