San Diego : Car Fire Leads to Loss of House

A fire sparked by a short circuit in a parked car’s electrical system ended up burning down a house in Serra Mesa on Tuesday, the Fire Department said.

The strange incident began sometime late Tuesday afternoon when a circuit shorted in the seat belt motor of a car parked in the garage of a house in the 2700 block of Larkin Place, fire officials said. The ensuing fire gradually engulfed the seat, the car, the garage and finally the adjoining house.

Neighbors reported the blaze at 5:52 p.m. when they saw smoke pouring out of the garage, officials said, and firefighters extinguished the flames by 6:13. But the house was destroyed, suffering an estimated $140,000 in damage.

Four people were left homeless.