Craftstones Fire on Saturday Could Have Been 'Much Worse.'

A serious fire at Craftstones rock and gem facility on Elm Street in Ramona on Saturday could have been a lot worse, according to Ramona Fire Department incident commander Capt. Don Davis.

He confirmed Monday that the Sheriff's Department evacuated people at the nearby soccer fields at Community Park on Saturday because of unknown hazardous materials at the site.

"It was potentially a very serious fire," Davis said. "At the very least, there was mineral oil, which gives off toxic fumes. There was a big, black plume of smoke, so the Sheriff's deputies evacuated people at the soccer fields. They told me later it went very well; people were very cooperative."

The fire began outside, though Davis said there was a lot of damage inside.

"There could have been a lot more. By the looks of how hot it got in there, the whole room was ready to ignite."

The Sheriff's Department is investigating the cause of the fire. Davis said this is common. On Monday, a spokeswoman said the department was not considering the incident foul play at that time.

He said the facility is used as a packing warehouse for shipping rocks and gems overseas, though it has previously been used as a rock polishing location. Davis said destroyed equipment included a jewelry saw and miscellaneous items. The total damage estimate, he said, is $150,000.

Davis said the owners are in South Africa and there was no manager at the site. A staff assistant was helping investigators at the location Monday.

Davis told Patch that hazardous materials units from the county and city of San Diego responded and made sure there was no hazardous run off into adjacent Santa Maria Creek.

"The fire was called in at about noon by a Sheriff's deputy on patrol in the area, so there was a quick response," he said. "We were very lucky."