Rancho Bernardo

A three-alarm fire in Rancho Bernardo that caused an estimated $750,000 in damage to two businesses early Wednesday was deliberately set, Metro Arson Strike Team investigator L.M. Jarvis said. About 1:30 a.m., 50 firefighters from three departments were called to a warehouse at 11501 Rancho Bernardo Road, west of Interstate 15, where it took them four hours to extinguish the blaze. They were forced to fight the fire from water towers outside the structure after the center section of the building’s roof collapsed, Fire Department spokesman Larry Stewart said. The blaze caused $250,000 in damage to the single-story structure and $250,000 in damage to the contents of Madden Enterprises, a small drapery manufacturing business. Smoke, water and heat also damaged $250,000 worth of computer software belonging to the adjacent Asea Hafo-Inc., Jarvis said. No injuries were reported.