A broken gas line caused a major fire at a construction site on the Westfield Plaza Bonita mall property early Wednesday morning.

 

Officials from the National City Fire Department said construction crews were working on a project in the parking lot near Round 1 Arcade and Nordstrom Rack around 2:50 a.m. when an excavator struck a gas line, considered one of the largest lines at the mall.

 

It is believed that the heat from the vehicle ignited the line, causing a fire with flames shooting several feet into the air. The flames engulfed at least one construction vehicle; no injuries were reported, and there was no damage to the mall structure.

 

Employees who were at the mall at the time of the incident were evacuated. As of 7 a.m., the fire was isolated to the construction site while it continued to burn. Firefighters said the fire is consuming the gas.

 

Authorities are asking the public to stay away from the mall property for several hours. Mall employees are also being informed that the shopping center will remain closed until firefighters confirm it is safe to reopen.

 

Officials from San Diego Gas & Electric said that around 800 commercial and residential customers have been affected by the line break and fire.