Accidental garage fire in PB?causes nearly $4.5 million in damages Firefighters successfully knocked down a large house fire that erupted near Mount Soledad around 2 p.m. on March 31. But officials said although most of the home was saved, owners still suffered about $4.5 million in damages. A man was working on a classic car in the garage of his two-story home at 1195 Van Nuys St., when gasoline vapors flowed over to a gas-fueled water heater. The pilot light of the heater, which was not properly elevated off the floor, ignited the vapors and started a blaze that took over both the garage and upstairs bedroom, officials said. Building-code specifications require such heaters to be elevated. The man was able to escape without injury, and witnesses said he evacuated the house with a dog, which was not hurt. Some children nearby said they heard the explosion. Dozens lined up outside the home to observe the incident. The fire began migrating throughout the home quickly, but San Diego firefighters were able to extinguish it within about 15 minutes, officials said. The fire, which officials have deemed an accident, caused an estimated $3 million in structural damages and $1.4 million in damages to contents. The entire home was affected by smoke damage. Groundbreaking set on bikeway, bridge City officials will break ground April 29 on the long-anticipated Rose Creek bikeway and pedestrian bridge project at Campland. Groundbreaking on the $3.5 million project, which will include a 260-foot bridge over Rose Creek, connecting North Mission Bay Drive to Pacific Beach Drive, is slated to begin at 10:30 a.m. The bikeway itself is the final link of the Mission Bay bike path — a plan that has been in the works for more than two decades. City officials expect the project to be completed by February.