A predawn house fire in a neighborhood near Chollas Lake displaced 11 residents Wednesday and left a firefighter injured, authorities reported.
The blaze erupted about 5 a.m. in a detached garage next to a home in the 3100 block of Chateau Way in Lemon Grove, Heartland Fire & Rescue spokesman Andy McKellar said.
The flames engulfed the outbuilding before spreading to the eaves of the residence, then into its attic and living quarters, McKellar said.
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The residents were able to safely escape the fire prior to the arrival of emergency crews.
It took firefighters about 45 minutes to get the blaze under control, with the job complicated by heavily cluttered conditions inside the house, the spokesman said.
A firefighter who suffered a minor shoulder injury while working to douse the flames was taken to Sharp Grossmont Hospital in La Mesa.
Crews treated a dog at the scene with oxygen for respiratory trauma it suffered inside the burning structure. The animal was expected to survive, McKellar said.
The American Red Cross was called in to help the people who live in the home, all adults, arrange for emergency shelter.
The cause of the fire, which caused an estimated $800,000 worth of damage, remained under investigation.
Peter Aquino, the owner of the house that caught on fire, opened up the residence to people who would have otherwise been homeless.
"There last place to go was either into the streets or I bring them in, so I was lending them a hand, and hopefully they would kick whatever bad habits they have," the homeowner told NBC 7.
NBC 7's Shandel Menezes contributed to this report.
