SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Just before midnight on Wednesday, a fire broke out at Mt. Hope Cemetery in San Diego.
It marked the second blaze to hit the property in the last month.
ABC 10News' Breaking News Tracker arrived early on the scene, capturing footage of fire crews extinguishing the flames, hosing down hot spots, and preventing fires from reigniting.
The firefight lasted nearly an hour.
In the aftermath, charred trees remain visible along the perimeter of the affected area. While cemetery officials declined to comment, the City of San Diego confirmed that several grave sites sustained damage, including headstones and vases.
Cemetery staff have already begun cleanup and repair efforts.
Christian Montaovoyanze, who was visiting his grandmother's grave located just feet away from where the fire occurred, said he was both shocked and disappointed about the incident.
"It's kind of just shocking; you wouldn't expect there to be a fire, especially at a graveyard," Montaovoyanze said. "I'm really grateful [that his grandmother's grave wasn't damaged], but sadly it was just so close to a lot of loved ones."
According to city officials, cemetery staff are contacting the families of those whose grave sites were damaged to inform them of the situation.
This latest incident comes less than a month after another fire at the cemetery on March 2nd.
City officials said that the fire at the beginning of the month was determined to have been caused by embers from a nearby recycling facility that caught fire.
The San Diego Fire Department has not yet released information regarding the cause of last night's fire. ABC 10News will continue to follow this developing story.
