SAN DIEGO – A fire early Thursday morning that heavily damaged a Lake Murray home and also burned a neighbor's property was intentionally set, fire officials said.
ALBERT D. JOHNSON for SignOnSanDiego
No one was at home when fire heavily damaged a Lake Murray-area home early Thursday.
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The blaze was reported just before 2 a.m. on Wallsey Drive near Mulvaney Drive. Firefighters arrived to find the garage of a two-story house on fire with flames spreading to the home, said Maurice Luque, a San Diego Fire-Rescue spokesman.
They had the fire knocked down in about 15 minutes. By then, the fire had caused about $800,000 in damage to the home and about $45,000 to a neighbor's property, Luque said.
Most of the family members that live at the home were away on vacation. One of the residents stayed behind but was not home when the fire started, Luque said.
The house is owned by Stephen Cornwell, a parole agent with the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
The Metropolitan Arson Strike Team is investigating the fire and determined by mid-morning it was arson. No arrests have been made.
San Diego police also responded to the fire and are conducting an investigation.
CDCR spokesman Seth Unger said its Office of Corrections Safety is also investigating in cooperation with local law enforcement.
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