Homeless Woman In Shed Possibly Causes Fire At North County Home

CARLSBAD, CA – A blaze that broke out in a shed outside of a Carlsbad home early Wednesday morning may have been caused by a homeless woman the homeowner allowed to stay in the shed, authorities said.

The noninjury blaze in the backyard of a home in the 3400 block of Madison Street broke out around 12:05 a.m., Carlsbad Fire Battalion Chief Jeff Chumbley said.

Crews responded to the home and found a shed in the backyard fully engulfed, Chumbley said.
Firefighters knocked down the flames within 10 minutes, before the fire could spread to any other structures, but the blaze damaged a section of fence and the homeowner's vehicle, he said.

The homeowner told firefighters he had let a transient woman stay in the shed for the night, then woke up to find the shed ablaze, Chumbley said.

The woman had left the area by the time firefighters arrived, he said.

The cause of the fire was under investigation.

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--City News Service