Oceanside

Seven cars parked in a garage outside an Oceanside apartment complex caught fire Wednesday, a Fire Department spokesman said.

The automobiles and garage were engulfed in flames at 2:19 a.m. when firefighters arrived at the two-alarm blaze in the 400 block of Brooks Street.

Gasoline poured from the vehicles’ burned fuel lines, causing an extreme fire danger, said Greg van Voorhees, an investigator for the Fire Department.

A resident of the complex heard an explosion, ran outside and saw two cars burning. She reported the blaze and attempted to control it with a fire extinguisher, but the blaze spread to the other five cars. Heat from the explosion damaged two additional cars nearby and a building 50 feet away, Van Voorhees said.

The fire was contained by 4 a.m. Its cause is under investigation.