2-STORY HOME LOST IN SECOND ALARM FIRE; OWNERS HAD BEEN FINED FOR DEBRIS

By Miriam Raftery
Photos by Leonard Villareal

October 6, 2009 (El Cajon) -- Dale Wojczynski, owner of a home destroyed by fire on September 30, had been fined $10,000 by the County for ignoring numerous orders to clean up the property.  A criminal case has been filed and will be heard on October 29.

San Miguel Fire District firefighters battled the two-story house fire in the Granite Hills area of unincorporated El Cajon. Firefighters prevented the blaze from spreading to neighboring homes, but could not save the home due to a large amount of flammable debris.   A 9-1-1 call was made by a resident at 6:07 a.m. Two people inside the home, located on the 2100 block of Valley View Blvd,  both got out safely.  Residents told fire investigators there were no smoke alarms in the home, but fortunately a resident was awakened by the alarm clock function of her cell phone.

Both the property and house on Valley View played host to a large amount of surplus material. Because of the amount of smoke and limited mobility a second alarm was called. At about 6:30 a.m. San Miguel determined the house could not be saved, so all efforts were focused on keeping the fire from spreading to other nearby homes.

Due to the amount of material in the home and its basement, fire crews remained on the scene nine hours after the initial call, to prevent any rekindle. At one point fire crews poured more that 1000 gallons of water per minute onto the burning structure.

The damage estimate for the home is estimated at $300,000. San Miguel firefighters were assisted by teams from El Cajon, Lakeside, Santee, CAL FIRE and Barona.

As a precaution one neighboring home was also evacuated. There was one injury reported. The male owner of the home bumped his head as he evacuated and suffered a “minor” cut.

The cause of the fire is under investigation. As a matter of course the investigation is being conducted by the Sheriff’s Bomb/Arson Team. “This one will be slow going because of the hazards presented by the property,” Leonard Villareal, public information officer for San Miguel Fire, told East County Magazine on October 5th.