SAN DIEGO – A woman was arrested in connection to a fire that damaged an apartment building in City Heights early Tuesday morning and forced dozens of people to evacuate.
About 50 residents in a two-story apartment complex on Van Dyke Avenue near Wightman Street were evacuated after the fire broke out for unknown reasons shortly before 3:30 a.m., according to San Diego police and fire officials.
Flames shot up from the roof of the complex and smoke poured out of the windows as officers and firefighters rushed door-to-door to evacuate families and their pets. Crews brought the blaze under control. However, around 10 a.m., the blaze re-ignited inside a wall. In total, three units were damaged.
A woman who resides in the building was arrested at the scene. Neighbors said she had been threatening to set her apartment on fire. Her son told 10News she has struggled with schizophrenia for several years.
"She hasn't been taking her medicine, she (sic) been like this since like 2 years... I feel bad this happened," her son Isaiah Swaggert said.
A family of four were treated for smoke inhalation. One of them had to be taken to a local hospital. The Red Cross was assisting the displaced families with temporary housing.
The cause remains under investigation. The name of the suspect and the charges she faces were not immediately released.
A financial estimate of the damage was not disclosed.
