CHULA VISTA, Calif. — Two people, including a firefighter, were injured after a house fire broke out in South Bay Friday morning,

The Chula Vista Fire Department (CVFD) said the blaze started just before 5 a.m. at a residence in a cul-de-sac on the 1800 block of Loyola Court.

Upon arrival, fire officials say an aggressive attack ensued. The blaze was mostly contained to the garage area, however, portions of the home were reported to be damaged.

Fire officials say there were several people in the home that were evacuated with one man, the homeowner, suffering severe burns. They say about 40% of his body was burned. He was transported to a local hospital to be treated for those injuries.

FOX 5’s Elizabeth Alvarez learned that the injured man was attempting to control what was a small fire in the beginning. Ruby Zamora Baker, a neighbor who lives next door, says she came over to try and help him when all of a sudden the fire exploded in size.

“At first, it was smoky. There were some things with embers on it. I tried to get the hose in the back but by then it was backdraft, door closed,” Baker recounted. “It just happened…I did get a little bit of backdraft, flew from the door. My left side hurts a little bit but I’m okay.”

A firefighter was also reported to be injured while fighting the blaze with department officials saying he suffered minor heat exhaustion. He was also taken to a local hospital.

Rich Eagan, the public information officer for the CVFD, says investigators are still trying to figure what started the fire.

“There is heavy amounts of ammunition and lithium ion batteries in the garage,” said Eagan. “I don’t want to speculate on the cause right now. We do have investigators on scene. I don’t want to say that was the determining factor but we have had a lot of fires with ion batteries. “

The department will be on scene for several hours as they conduct an investigation to determine the exact cause of the blaze that injured two.

FOX 5’s Elizabeth Alvarez contributed to this report.