Propane Barbecue Sparks House Fire

OCEANSIDE, Calif. -- A propane barbecue sparked a North County house fire that caused an estimated $250,000 worth of damage Friday, a fire department official reported.

The non-injury blaze in the 100 block of Ellery Street in Oceanside began spreading shortly before 11 a.m., Battalion Chief Pete Lawrence said.

It took crews about 20 minutes to subdue the flames, Lawrence said.

Investigators set the monetary losses at $200,000 to the structure and $50,000 to its contents.