San Diego

A fire caused by a stove burner left unattended did about $35,000 damage to an apartment in the 4100 block of 51st Street in East San Diego, the fire department said.

The two adults and six children who lived in the one-bedroom apartment were sleeping when the fire broke out, but they escaped unharmed, said fire captain William Green. About 18 firefighters battled the blaze, which started in the kitchen about 11:55 p.m. Tuesday, Green said.

Investigators from the Metro Arson Strike Team found a smoke detector in the apartment, but it didn’t have batteries, Green said. A search of other apartments in the 18-unit complex revealed several smoke detectors that also were missing batteries, Green said.

Green said it is a landlord’s responsibility to provide smoke detectors, but tenants are responsible for changing the batteries and ensuring they work properly. The fire department suggests people change their smoke detector batteries once a year in October, when they move their clocks off daylight-saving time.