Oceanside CA— Four people were transported to the hospital, three by Mercy Air, after a fire broke out in an apartment at the Country Villas Apartment Complex, 283 Douglas Dr. in Oceanside.
Firefighters from Oceanside, Carlsbad and Vista were dispatched at 9:06 this morning, June 2, 2017 with the first units arriving shortly after. “The first unit in was flagged down by neighbors and guided to the multi-unit apartment building,” said Oceanside Battalion Chief, Greg deAvila. “It appears the fire started in the kitchen area with four residents inside. The first unit on the scene was able to make good access to the fire and establish a quick attack.”
Firefighters found the residents of the apartment unit outside, in front of the building, “Firefighters saw they had been affected by smoke inhalation so we had to add more resources, set up a medical treatment area to evaluate those patients and what their needs were,” said the Chief.

Two of the victims were children, including a five-month-old girl. They were transported by Mercy Air to Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego accompanied by their father. One male, a good Samaritan who went into the smoke filled structure before firefighters arrived, was also airlifted to a local hospital for smoke inhalation. A fourth victim, the children’s mother was transported by ground ambulance to UCSD. The condition of the victims is unknown at this time.
The fire was brought under control in approximately twenty minutes. Despite the size of the apartment building, access and egress to the two story units and multiple common areas, fire department crews were quick to verify and account for all other residents in the area. The aggressive initial fire attack kept the fire from spreading to any adjacent apartment units and the entire incident was brought under control in thirty-five minutes. Damage was minimized as a result of the quick work of the first arriving Oceanside Fire personnel. An investigator with the Oceanside Fire Department responded to the scene in order to determine the cause and origin of the fire. While the fire appears to be a cooking fire, the exact cause is still being investigated.
There is no word on the damage estimate or how many residents will be displaced due to smoke damage. Mutual Aid was provided by Vista and Carlsbad Fire departments. 29 personnel with four engines, two trucks and three med units along with Mercy Air responded to the incident.