CHULA VISTA
Federal investigators have determined that a three-alarm fire that injured four firefighters last week at a Chula Vista apparel store was an accident, authorities said Tuesday.
Officials did not say what caused the fire, which erupted around 5:40 p.m. Jan. 25 on the second floor of Action Footwear and Apparel off H Street west of Broadway.
Flames ripped through the building, collapsing the roof onto the second floor, and the second floor onto the first, Chula Vista fire Capt. Linda D’Orsi said last week. The building was occupied when the fire started, but employees and others escaped uninjured.
NBC 7 s Omari Fleming has the latest from the scene.
Based on the size of the building, the amount of fire damage and the injuries to the firefighters, the ATF was tapped last week by the Chula Vista Fire Department to help with the investigation into the fire’s origin and cause. The ATF – with 20 additional investigators – began processing the scene on Jan. 28.
Investigators determined the fire started on the second floor of Active Footwear. People were inside when it sparked at around 5:40 p.m. that day, but they all managed to escape safely.
The CVFD said high winds blowing through the county that day exacerbated the fire. As the flames spread quickly, the roof of the building collapsed.
The fire was reported to have started on the second floor and was driven by the high winds that blew through San Diego on Monday. The rapidly spreading fire prompted the call for a second alarm and then, when the roof collapsed, a third alarm.
According to a spokesperson for ATF, a single ATF Certified Fire Investigator responded to the scene to assist Chula Vista Fire Investigators with the origin and cause investigation, however, based on the size of the building, the amount of fire damage, and the firefighter injuries, Chula Vista Fire Department requested the assistance of ATF’s NRT.