50 displaced, hundreds evacuated after fire in downtown San Diego during Comic-Con
Heavy smoke was seen across the downtown San Diego area after a building caught fire Friday night.
Fire crews responded to the large blaze that broke out at a Brazilian steakhouse in the 900 block of Fourth Avenue near Horton Plaza at around 7:30 p.m.
Some roads were closed due to the structure fire, including Broadway between Third Avenue and Sixth Avenue, and Fourth Avenue between B Street and F Street, according to San Diego police. Roads were expected to reopen in 2-3 hours.
Tens of thousands of people were downtown on Friday, many of whom were attending Comic-Con — San Diego's comic book and pop culture extravaganza. The large plume of smoke, which could be seen from about 10 miles away, caught the attention of locals and visitors in the area, and police say dozens gathered on both sides of the incident.
Traffic from Comic-Con made it challenging for crews to respond quickly, the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department said.
The blaze started in the kitchen on the building's first story. It then traveled up all four stories, and flames spread to the roof and the AC units on the top floor, according to the fire department.
"The sprinklers went off on the fourth floor, and luckily that saved the fourth floor," said Chris Babler, a battalion chief with SDFD.
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SDFD said they were able to get everyone out of the building and stopped the spread of the fire in under an hour.
The three stories above the kitchen are made up of residential and Airbnb units, Babler said. In total, about 50 people were displaced, and Red Cross members were assisting those residents and guests.
"Right now with zero vacancy in a lot of the local hotels downtown, we are going to be searching for vacancy at a local hotel, and Red Cross is going to assist us with that," Babler said.
The fire department also evacuated a nearby building that was being used for a Comic-Con event for 1,200 people. A press release from Warner Bros. Discovery shows that the event taking place at the time was "The Iceberg Lounge" Experience. People were allowed back into the building at around 9 p.m., according to SDFD.
No injuries were reported, but SDFD said the building has significant damage and that the restaurant will be out of service.
Crews were expected to remain at the scene overnight to work on overhaul.
The cause of the blaze is still under investigation.
This is a developing story that will be updated as more information arrives.
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