EL CAJON, Calif. (KGTV) – A man is dead and a woman is injured after a serve of eviction led to a house being burned down in San Diego's El Cajon neighborhood Friday afternoon.
According to the San Diego County Sheriff's Department, court services deputies went to a home in the 1200 block of Redwood Avenue to serve a family-initiated eviction notice to a man.
After deputies announced their presence, they did not receive a response and they continued with the eviction by making an attempt to enter the home.
SDSO says when they tried to open the door, they realized the inside was barricaded and suddenly, several incendiary devices with what appeared to be a flammable liquid were thrown at them. The home then became engulfed in flames.
Authorities were able to get to safety and no one in law enforcement was injured. Deputies say an elderly El Cajon woman escaped the home through a side window and she was taken to safety. The woman confirmed the man was still inside and was taken to a local trauma center with moderate burns. She is expected to survive her injuries.
The home became a complete loss as the blaze ebbed away at the structure. Firefighters from Heartland Fire and Rescue, San Miguel and Protection, and El Cajon Police were all on the scene to assist.
Once authorities went inside the destroyed home, they found the body of an unidentified man in the bathroom. Deputies say they are not sure how the man died.
The eviction was planned/scheduled by the owners of the property, according to SDSO. Police say family members own the property and the victim lived there.
The man is being described by police as being in his 60s. His name has not been released to the public yet pending the investigation and notification of next of kin.
