Fire crews battle blaze at Solana Beach condo complex

Flames engulfed several dwellings Tuesday night, Nov. 12, at the Del Mar Beach Club condo complex in Solana Beach, authorities said.

The large blaze was reported just after 9 p.m. at the upscale, gated complex at 760 Pacific Surf Drive, San Diego sheriff’s Lt. Shawn Wray said. The condos of the Del Mar Beach Club are located in several large buildings on both sides of South Sierra Avenue, west of Highway 101 and Via De La Valle, with some of the units overlooking the Pacific Ocean.

Several of the residences were evacuated, but no injuries were reported, Wray said.

The first fire crews found flames had spread from ground floor units to the roof of the complex, according to Chief Mike Stein of the Encinitas Fire Department, which serves Solana Beach.

All five units in the building were evacuated, Stein said. The exact number of residents evacuated was unknown.

Footage from OnScene TV showed firefighters battling flames that shot from the roof of a two-story building. It appeared the blaze was contained to just one of the residential buildings.

Fire crews were still fighting the fire after 11 p.m.

No roads in the area were expected to be closed, aside from those inside the complex, Wray said.

There was no immediate indication of how the fire started.

On its website, the Del Mar Beach Club is described as a “beautiful privately owned gated residential community” that is “not a resort or time share complex.”

“Many residents are professionals who work nearby or from their home offices,” according to the complex’s website. “There are also many retired and semi-retired professionals who work from home. Some of the homes are second homes of our Del Mar Beach Club owners.”

— Alex Riggins is a reporter for The San Diego Union-Tribune

— City News Service contributed to this report.