Fire destroys storage building on Starvation Mountain Road

Fire destroyed an agricultural storage building on Starvation Mountain Road near Highland Valley Road Wednesday afternoon, according to officials.

The 500-square-foot wood frame building with corrugated aluminum siding in the 19000 block of Starvation Mountain Road was packed with personal items, said Cal Fire/Ramona Fire Department Battalion Chief Burke Kremensky. He did not have a damage estimate as of Thursday.

Responding to the call, which came at 2:15 p.m., were Ramona Fire Department, Cal Fire, San Diego County Fire Authority and San Pasqual and Lakeside fire departments.

Although there was access to the location, Kremensky said, “Water was a concern. We ended up ordering up three water tenders.”

Those tenders came from Lakeside, San Pasqual and San Diego County Fire Authority.

The cause is under investigation.

According to Kremensky, the homeowners were home and said they heard what sounded like an explosion.

“We couldn’t determine a cause because the building had so much storage,” he said.

San Diego Gas & Electric also responded to secure the building’s power. Firefighters left the scene about 7 p.m., said Kremensky.