ENCINITAS, Calif. (KGTV) -- A popular Encinitas cafe was destroyed and nearby residences were evacuated following a blaze early Monday morning.
Crews were called around 12:15 a.m. to a commercial building fire at 698 N Coast Highway 101, about three blocks from the coastline.
Witnesses reported hearing an explosion then seeing the building fully engulfed almost instantly.
"I heard a really loud pop and then I heard some yelling," said Matt Prior, a nearby resident. He thought the noise was gunfire until he realized the popular Mozy Cafe was engulfed in flames.
"I went outside and saw like a really big orange glow," said Prior.
Flames were still raging an hour after the first units arrived. More firefighting units were called to the scene and crews evacuated nearby residential buildings.
No injuries were reported.
In total, Mozy Cafe and three other businesses resided in the destroyed commercial building.
Firefighters remained on the scene as of 6 a.m. to monitor hot spots.
The cause of the fire is under investigation but officials say it does not seem suspicious.
The owners of the four businesses say they want to rebuild and have created a GoFundMe to raise money.
