Elderly Woman Displaced by Oceanside Fire

Written by City News Service

An 85-year-old woman found herself displaced and suffering minor injuries Thursday after a plumber accidentally sparked a fire that destroyed an Oceanside duplex, causing an estimated $150,000 in damage, authorities said.

The blaze on Harvard Drive in the Tri-City area of Oceanside was reported at 2:32 p.m., according to Oceanside fire Battalion Chief Pete Lawrence. It was knocked down less than 20 minutes later and completely extinguished in about 40 minutes, he said in a statement.

"The first arriving engine crew made entry to the first unit and found significant fire conditions in the attic area," Lawrence said. "They also encountered an elderly lady who had suffered minor burns before making it out of the structure."

Paramedics took the 85-year-old woman to Tri-City Medical Center, from where she was flown to UCSD Medical Center. Lawrence said no one else was injured.

The fire was started by a plumber using a torch to fix pipes in the bathroom of one of the units, Lawrence said, adding damage was estimated at $100,000 for the structure and $50,000 for its contents.

"Both units suffered enough damage to make them uninhabitable and they were red-tagged by the city's building department," Lawrence said.