San Diego
Six hundred San Diego State University students were evacuated after two fires broke out in a basement of an eight-story dormitory hall, authorities said Wednesday.
Firefighters responded to the Zura dormitory in the 6100 block of Montezuma Road at 8:24 p.m. Tuesday and spotted the first fire in a basement dumpster, said Jon McDonald, a spokesman for the San Diego Fire Department.
After wheeling it outside and extinguishing the fire, however, firefighters found another blaze inside the wall next to a trash chute leading to the dumpster, McDonald said.
Additional firefighters were summoned, he said.
McDonald said the cause of the fires was under investigation, but he added that the metal trash chute had a hole in it where the flames may have ignited.
The Metro Arson Strike Team is investigating the fires.
Tuesday’s blaze was the third dumpster fire in the dormitory’s basement in the past two semesters, said Jeff Urdahl, associate director of SDSU housing.
No injuries were reported.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
