ENCINITAS : Hundreds of Pets Die in Store Fire
Fire destroyed a pet store early Monday morning, killing all of the hundreds of animals inside except one lizard that was rescued by three boys who broke a store window, a Fire Department spokesman said.
One firefighter was injured in the three-alarm fire, which started about 1 a.m. in the Village Square Shopping Center on El Camino Real and Encinitas Boulevard, authorities said.
“When we arrived, there were flames shooting out of the windows and onto the roof,” said Steve Martin, public information officer for the Encinitas Fire Department. Investigators believe faulty wiring in the store’s ceiling might have caused the blaze.
Hundreds of exotic birds as well as rabbits, guinea pigs, lizards and other animals at the Best Pets Store perished in the fire that took engine companies from Carlsbad, Solana Beach, Rancho Santa Fe, Vista, Oceanside, San Marcos, and Elfin Forest more than an hour to control, officials said.
Damage to the pet shop and two neighboring stores was estimated at $750,000, officials said.
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