A bomb threat forced a United Airlines flight headed to San Francisco from Germany to circle back to Frankfurt Airport on the 14th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Despite the scare, all the passengers were safe and put up in hotels by the airline.

German federal police said in an email on Friday that the flight was "recalled due to a concrete bomb threat to ensure the safety of the passengers and the people at the airport." The federal police carried out security checks of the aircraft, the passengers and the passengers' luggage but found nothing. No further details were provided.

United's website stated earlier in the day that Flight 902 was "canceled due to security disruptions." One of the passengers texted her sister in San Jose that she was told there was some sort of "threat."

Passengers aboard the plane told NBC Bay Area they weren't given any information about the specific nature of the threat.

"The flight originally took off OK ... About half an hour into the flight the captain said over the intercom the German police wanted the flight to return," Isaac C, who was returning home to San Francisco from vacation, told NBC Bay Area in an interview from Frankfurt. "We were worried — our immediate thought was that SFO was a major international destination and today was 9/11."

In a statement, United Airlines said the flight "returned to Frankfurt shortly after take-off at the direction of German authorities." The plane "landed safely" at 3:39 p.m. German time. According to United there were 333 passengers and 18 crew members on the Boeing 747.

Once the plane returned to Germany, passengers were thoroughly checked through X-ray machines and sent off with handfuls of Snickers and drinks to nearby hotels.

Isaac C. posted an Instagram video of the passengers getting off the plane at Frankfurt, where about two dozen police officers and fire trucks were waiting. The German police made an announcement that there was a threat to the plane, Isaac said. "Some passengers were saying there was a bomb threat," he said. "Nobody that we saw was arrested — about half way through the security search, they paused and sped it up."

"They did a wipe test on every item, checked small electronic cables wires, opened up all our clothing — they were looking for chemicals and strange wiring," he said. “I felt I was getting a Thai massage.”

Passengers will be taking a shuttle back to the airport from their hotel tomorrow morning. "I am ok with being delayed a day if it meant everybody is safe," Isaac C said.

The flight was scheduled to return to SFO at 4:20 p.m. on Friday — 14 years after terrorists attacked the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City by airplane on Sept. 11, 2011. One of those planes was a United flight. Another United flight crashed into a field in Shanksfield, Penn. In all, almost 3,000 people died that day.

“I didn’t really realize it was 9/11 until we heard the captain,” Rob Tobias of Sunnyvale, Calif. told NBC Bay Area In a phone interview from a Frankfurt hotel. "Then I thought, ‘Wow, something is up.’ And those tragic events came to mind. I’ll never forget that day. And I won’t forget today, either.”

 

Just got deplaned by 2 dozen police and fire trucks after being in air for half an hour. #neverforget

A video posted by @iiiccc on Sep 11, 2015 at 7:14am PDT

NBC Bay Area's Gonzalo Rojas contributed to this report.

Record-breaking temperatures and sweltering humidity are putting San Diego County air conditioners to the test, and many aren’t passing.

As more and more units break down, AC repair companies face a backlog of sweaty, uncomfortable customers.

“It’s been about five years for me to be out in the field, and I’m out today because of the extreme heat and humidity,” said Bryan Rominger, vice president of Anderson Plumbing Heating & Air.

Rominger said the family-owned business is in "all hands on deck" mode, pulling workers from their plumbing department to the air conditioning department to try and respond to all calls. On Friday, his business had 14 technicians each taking at least four customers.

Still, they have a backlog of about a dozen calls, many of which are considered emergencies because babies and elderly people are left without a way to cool down. Many heating and cooling businesses in the county are experiencing the same rush.

Rominger received an emergency call to La Mesa, where an AC unit in the infant room went out. He explained their highest priority is homes and businesses where infants and elderly residents live or stay.

“We're extremely busy because of the high humidity,” Rominger told NBC 7 Friday. “It takes a lot more wear and tear on the units right now. They're running harder to dry out the air to make the comfort zone more comfortable for the consumer.”

After Rominger took the day care's unit apart and tinkered for about an hour, the cool air was flowing once again. The temperature in the room dropped from 81 degrees to 58 once again.

He said in addition to the humidity, strain on the electric grid can affect an AC unit’s performance.

"The heat wave hits and we have voltage drops,” Rominger explained. “SDG&E is trying to feed everybody electricity, your voltage is going to drop to your house and the units are having to work even harder.

"So if they're not at peak performance, they're going to fail. And they have. And they are," he added. 

He said servicing your AC unit, especially before a heat wave, is essential so a call for help only requires maintenance work, not an emergency repair.

He recommended servicing it once a year and regularly cleaning the filter .

“If you had a car you bought brand-new and drove it 100,000 miles and never changed the oil, it would void the warranty,” Rominger said . “These are mechanical devices. They can and will break down if you don't perform maintenance to them. I try to tell customers that all the time, that key maintenance is very important to these systems.”

Coss Marte and Sultan Malik, who were both imprisoned for dealing drugs, are now hustling clients for a unique fitness program.

Marte, 29, launched his New York City fitness studio, Conbody, in 2014 by using the same business skills he honed while dealing drugs. 

"There's not much of a difference," he explains. "Being a hustler is dedication and persistence, just showing up to deliver every day. Being an entrepreneur is doing the same thing, showing up and delivering every day. I'm out there almost everyday handing out my business cards the same way I did when I was hustling back on the street."

The fitness program was developed while Marte was confined to his jail cell and needed to find creative ways to keep his own body fit. 

Two short video clips posted to social media Friday appear to show a pair of San Francisco police officers laughing and joking about shooting suspects, and police said they are hoping to learn more about the video.

The videos posted to Instagram appear to show two SFPD officers in a doughnut shop having a discussion about evidence they would or wouldn't want captured on body cameras. The video was accompanied by a caption that said it was recorded at the Happy Donuts location near 24th and Church streets, which a store employee confirmed to NBC Bay Area on Friday.

In the video, the officers discuss how they want to make sure suspects pointing a gun at them are captured on video when shot but not suspects putting their hands up.

"What you want on video is the guy holding the gun still going (inaudible) still pointing at you."

They laugh when discussing what it would look like when a suspect is shot in the chest or head.

SFPD Chief Greg Suhr wants the person who videotaped the officers to show them the full length conversation, not just the two clips posted. He says the full context may lead disciplinary action against the officers.

The videos were posted separtely labeled part one and part two.

San Francisco police do not wear body cameras but the city has been working on a policy to equip officers with them.

San Francisco police said Friday the department opened an investigation after becoming aware of the videos. Police are asking the person who shot the video for to contact the department's Internal Affairs Division at 415-575-5856.

Bay City News contributed to this report.

The California Highway Patrol issued a Sig Alert Friday evening after a multi-vehicle crash on southbound Interstate 15.

The crash happened just after 6 p.m. near the I-15 and I-805 interchange in City Heights.

Traffic was backing up to State Route 52, the CHP said.

By 7 p.m., officials had started clearing the crash and opening lanes.

On the anniversary of 9/11, it would seem normal for American flags to be flying everywhere, but one student at Alvernia University in Reading, Pennsylvania was forced to take his flag down when he and his roommates hung it from the window of their on-campus townhouse.

“I'm a firefighter, so in honor of the 343 firefighters (that were killed on 9/11), I, along with my roommates, draped a flag from our second floor windows,” Zach Zechman, a senior at Alvernia told NBC10.

After a couple hours of the flag hanging, two resident assistants came and told Zechman he had to take it down. He said they brought a printed copy of the section of the student handbook that prohibits objects hanging from windows.

“American flags are welcome and flying throughout Alvernia’s campus at half-staff in honor of the day,” Carey Manzolillo, Associate Director of Communications for the University told NBC10 in an email. “Our student policy does however state that sheets, banners or other such objects may not be hung outside of windows or on the exterior portion of any residence hall.”

Manzolillo said the information could be found on page 61 of the Alvernia Student Handbook.

Zechman said he took the flag down, and is trying to set up a meeting with the Dean of Students to change the rules for certain days.

“I want it to be different for a day like today, where something like that means something,” Zechman said. 

A 12-year-old child on a scooter was thrown 20-feet when he was hit by a car in the South Bay Friday evening, San Diego Police said. 

At dusk, the boy and his 14-year-old brother were riding their Razor scooters through the Ocean View Hills neighborhood.

The older brother safely crossed Ocean View Hills Parkway at the Hidden Trails Road stoplight, but when the younger boy started across it, he was struck by a charcoal-colored Honda, according to investigators.

Police say the boy was hit broadside and thrown about 20 feet forward, through the intersection. The scooter, which remained intact, was wrapped around the base of a palm tree.

"The first officer that responded found the child in the street with what appeared to be serious head injuries because the child was drifting in and out of consciousness," said SDPD Sgt. Peter Brown.

The victim was taken to Rady Children's Hospital with nonlife threatening injuries, police said.

Video from the scene showed the car's windshield shattered from the impact.

The driver was questioned and then allowed to leave. Officers are still trying to determine if the driver ran a red light or the boy was crossing the road at the wrong time.

El Cajon police are investigating reports of shots fired inside a commercial building Friday evening.

At 6:15 p.m., a burglar alarm went off at a building in the 6800 block of N. Marshall.

When a representative for the business went inside, he heard gunshots coming from within, police say.

As officers investigate, police are shutting down traffic on Marshall between Bradley and Billy Mitchell, Trolley service has also be closed in the area.

Check back here for more on this breaking news story.

The horse owner in Jamul could face criminal charges after his animals were found suffering from suspected neglect.

County Animal Services rescued 10 horses from the Jamul property Friday, and another three will be taken from the owner Saturday. All of the rescued animals are underweight, officials say, and many have other medical problems.

Last week, a mare and a colt were seized from the same property when animal control officers found them in a “life-threatening situation,” they said.

The agency plans to impound 15 horses in all, including four stallions, two geldings and eight mares.

They will be housed at the county’s Bonita animal care facility until they are healthy enough to be adopted.

Now, animal control officers are considering submitting this case to the District Attorney’s office for criminal charges.

Four horses still remain with the owner because they were the healthiest of the bunch, but officers plan to return and check on them.

Officials have released the identity of the Marine killed in a vehicle rollover at Camp Pendleton.

Corporal Bryan Michael Lauw, 21, died and 18 others were injured when a Medium Tactical Vehicle Replacement (MTVR) rolled during routine training Thursday.

Lauw, a resident of Denham Springs, Louisiana, was assigned to Charlie Company, 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division.

He served as an anti-tank missileman after he joined the Marines in June 2012.

"The loss of Bryan and the injuries sustained to our Marines is a tremendous blow to our battalion," said Lt. Col. Christian Rankin, commanding officer, 1st LAR, in a statement. "During this difficult time, we rely heavily on each other and ensure the families and friends affected feel the upmost support."

Officials say the 1st Marine Division will be supporting Lauw's family at this tragic time.

During his career, Lauw was awarded the National Defense Service medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service medal, a Sea Service Deployment ribbon, a Meritorious Mast and four letters of appreciation, according to Marine authorities.

The fallen Marine has deployed with the Special Purpose Marine Air Ground Task Force South, serving on the amphibious assault ship USS America. Lauw and the fellow service members supported security cooperations in Central and South America.

Marine officials have not detailed how the MTVR — also known as a 7-ton truck — toppled over at the base, north of San Diego.

Of the 18 others injured, six remain in critical condition, eight are in stable condition and four have been released from the hospital, according to 1st Lt. Colleen McFadden.

"We're holding them close right now," she said. "We have a lot of people, support. Our community, our chaplains, medical personnel and families have all come together to support us." 

MTVRs are primarily used to transport people, fuel, food and supplies.

Retired Navy veteran Mitch Finley, who said he trained to drive MTVRs, told NBC 7 the vehicle is quite automated.

"There's no gears to shift or anything else," he said. "Put it in drive and park and it's very stable, lots of automatic options as far as traction devices, tire inflation options — just a real solid vehicle. Not top heavy." 

Finley works on base now and said the accident happened on a corner of a main road where their have been other problems, though he is not sure why.

An investigation into the incident is underway.

San Diego County health officials are investigating what may be two new human cases of West Nile virus after a San Diego woman died and a Santee woman was hospitalized.

In late August, the elderly women were admitted to the hospital for symptoms of encephalitis, a brain inflammation that can be caused by viral or bacterial infections, according to the County Health and Human Services Agency.

The 79-year-old San Diego patient died on Sept. 8. The 80-year-old Santee woman is recovering after undergoing treatment. Officials with the California Department of Public Health will do testing next week to confirm the cases were West Nile virus.

Only one human case of the potentially deadly disease, which is spread through mosquito bites, has been confirmed in San Diego County this year. However, about 140 dead birds and 22 batches of mosquitoes have tested positive for the virus since January, according to the County Department of Environmental Health.

Last year, 11 people in the county caught the disease, while 41 dead birds and six mosquito batches were West-Nile positive.

Vector Control employees inspected the areas where the women were sickened to check for potential mosquito breeding. They also set up traps and notified residents to warn them that West Nile was discovered in their neighborhood.

According to the county health department, 80 percent of people who become infected with West Nile have no symptoms. Of the 20 percent who do get sick, most have headaches, fever, nausea, fatigue, rashes or swollen glands.

One in 150 of infected patients develop possibly life-threatening neurological complications, which increase in people over 50 years old and those with weakened immune systems, health officials say.

For more on how to avoid mosquitoes and prevent West Nile virus, click here.
 

A fatal helicopter crash in North Carolina on Sept. 2 brought the total number of Marine aviation-related deaths in 2015 to 18 — a five-year high, NBC News reported.

On May 10, seven special-ops Marines died when their UH-60 Blackhawk crashed off the Florida coast during a training exercise in heavy fog. Then, on May 12, six Marines were killed when their UH-1Y Venom crashed in Nepal while supporting earthquake relief efforts.

Five days later on May 17 an MV-22 Osprey, nicknamed The Widowmaker, makes a hard landing and catches fire in Hawaii, killing two Marines and injuring 20 more.

Maj. Paul Greenberg, a Marine aviation spokesman at the Pentagon, told NBC News that there "will always be inherent risk in military aviation," but that the military branch stands behind all of its aircraft and trains pilots to ensure a "high degree of aviation safety."

Fourteen-year-old Ahed Tamimi, who was photographed biting and hitting a masked and armed Israeli soldier who was thrusting her 12-year-old brother down onto a rock in the West Bank, has become the poster child for the Palestinian fight against Israeli occupation.

Tamimi's activism already made her a fixture in social media. In December, 2012 she was filmed shouting at and shoving soldiers twice her size, which earned her an invitation to Turkey to receive a "courage" award.

Since the viral image, journalists have beaten a path to her family's door in the village of Nabi Saleh to speak to her about her ultimate goal — the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the West Bank. Israel has occupied the area since 1967 but Palestinians see it as integral to a future state. 

Some nosh news for foodies: San Diego Restaurant Week (SDRW) is making its tasty return, showcasing more than 190 eateries across our local dining scene over the course of eight days.

This year, SDRW runs Sept. 20 through Sept. 27 with a familiar, scrumptious set-up: participating eateries will offer special two and three-course, prix fixe menus for lunch and dinner. Two-course lunch menus will be priced at $10, $15 or $20 per person, while three-course dinner menus are priced at $20, $30, $40 and $50 per person.

The popular culinary event spans local restaurants across 12 regions throughout San Diego County including downtown San Diego, La Jolla, Uptown, Central San Diego, Mission Bay and Beaches, and North County Inland and Coastal, to name a few communities.

As always, no special passes are required to attend SDRW. Just pick the participating restaurant that sounds good to you, go there and ask for the SDRW menu – easy as pie.

SDRW 2015 participating eateries include Stake Chophouse + Bar in Coronado, Bo-Beau Kitchen + Garden in La Mesa, Indigo Grill in Little Italy, Bali Hai on Shelter Island, Barrio Star in Uptown, Bleu Boheme and Pampas Argentine Grill in Central San Diego and Sea180 Coastal Tavern in Imperial Beach.

Those are just a few samples, however, in the very long, mouthwatering list of SDRW restaurants, which can be seen in full here. The SDRW website also includes the special menus each eatery will serve during the foodie event.

This time around, SDRW has partnered with Sysco and the Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank to raise funds for the organization's many programs for hungry children and families in San Diego County, including the Food 4 Kids Backpack Program.

SDRW organizers say diners can get involved in the fundraising efforts by posting a photo of their SDRW experience on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram using the hashtag #Food4Kids and tagging the SDRW restaurant where they are dining.

Sysco will donate $1 to the Food Bank’s program for every #Food4Kids post during the event so the program, which provides weekend food packages to chronically hungry elementary school students, can be launched in as many local schools as possible.

By the way, SDRW has been such a hit over the years organizers have extended the event by a full week in the past. Here’s to hoping that happens again. Bon appetit!
 

Friday, Sept. 11, 2015, is the day San Diego’s political leaders said they had to have an agreement in place with the San Diego Chargers on a new stadium if any vote was going to get on a ballot by January. Well Friday, Sept. 11 is here, so how have things been progressing?

Simply put, they haven’t.

The deadline passes with Friday’s setting sun with really no progress made, leaving the future of San Diego’s current professional football team in the hands of the National Football League.

So how did we arrive at this point? All the energy and hope that came with the release of a stadium plan in May, followed by a series of planned negotiating sessions, yielded exactly nothing. The Chargers and San Diego officials could not come to an agreement. Things got so contentious that it now seems the two parties can’t even agree to disagree.

According to Chargers Special Counsel Mark Fabiani, the issue is the same thing that’s been the issue for months: the way an Environmental Impact Report is being pursued.

“The Chargers made clear in mid-June that the team would not go along with the City’s proposed quickie Environmental Impact Report,” said Fabiani. “When the City insisted on going ahead with this unprecedented approach to complying with California’s environmental laws, negotiations ended. And nothing has changed since then. Unfortunately, the quickie EIR is not like a fine wine; it does not get better with age. The quickie EIR is more like curdled milk, which looks worse the longer it sits around.”

As a quick recap, the city is attempting to accelerate the EIR process that usually takes in the area of 12-18 months and have it done in a few months. San Diego City attorney Jan Goldsmith and Mayor Kevin Faulconer’s lead negotiator Christopher Melvin both agree the process will stand up to legal inspection. Fabiani says that’s not possible, so until the city decides to change its strategy, the team will not participate in stadium discussions. That’s basically what brought us to this point, but Mayor Faulconer still has hope.

“While it's no surprise that the Chargers have allowed today's deadline to pass for a January 12 special election,” said Faulconer, “San Diego can still hold a public vote on a new stadium during the normal election cycle in June or November – if Chargers ownership is willing to work in good faith with their hometown.”

“Good faith negotiations” is a phrase we’ve heard a lot this year. The problem seems to be both the team and the city think it’s the other party that is not negotiating in good faith, if at all.

Fabiani:

“With regard to the repeated statements by politicians that the team has refused to engage with the City of San Diego; this is an untrue statement made by politicians looking to cover their own backsides. The Chargers have been working for 14 years to find a solution in San Diego. These politicians have been working on this issue for eight months — and they’ve squandered most of those months by appointing yet another task force and embarking on a legally doomed environmental review process.”

Faulconer:

“City and County leadership remain ready to negotiate a fair stadium agreement. We have the regional political cooperation, fair financial framework and full environmental review necessary to build a new sports and entertainment complex that can be used by the Chargers and for future Super Bowls.”

So the waiting game continues. Barring a miracle change of heart, it’s looking like the Chargers are content to wait and see if they win the Los Angeles lottery. Both the team and the city are trying to convince the NFL Commissioner’s office that their plan (the Chargers in Carson, the city in San Diego) is the best one for the league.

“We will continue to work directly with the NFL ahead of the upcoming ownership meetings to show them that San Diego has all the ingredients necessary for a fair deal for taxpayers, the team and the league,” said Faulconer. “I would like to personally thank the fans, elected officials and civic leaders who have helped put San Diego in the best possible position to make the case to the National Football League that we are an NFL city.”

While the officials are still working on their presentation, the Bolts seem content to wait and see what happens.

“The NFL owners will make decisions regarding Los Angeles later this year,” said Fabiani, ”and the Chargers have said from the start that the team will respect whatever decision the NFL’s owners make.”

Now, that actually offers a shred of hope for Bolts fans who want to see the team stay in San Diego. If the league chooses the Carson project the Chargers have proposed with the Oakland Raiders, the Bolts will leave within a year. If the league chooses the Inglewood project of Rams owner Stan Kroenke, the Bolts could still move and join the Rams in that facility as a second tenant. That time frame is a little cloudier.

If the league chooses to let the Rams move to L.A. and lets the Raiders join them, the Chargers can either attempt to mend fences in San Diego or try and relocate the team to Oakland or St. Louis or San Antonio or London. Really the only thing we know for sure is the Chargers are playing the Lions on Sunday at Qualcomm Stadium and they’ll still have “San Diego” painted in the end zones.

The lamp posts in this downtown San Diego neighborhood have gone to the dogs.

One toppled over in the 1600 block of 10th Avenue on Thursday night, and a resident who reported it to SDG&E workers heard a pretty incredulous reason for the accident.

Dog urine.

That’s right. Urine speeds up corrosion that occurs over time from rain and age, city officials say, and the pole in question was likely bumped by a car at some point, weakening the base before repeated urinating sealed its fate.

For dogs in the downtown area, light posts make a pretty good target.

“They just like to pee against something that’s upright, so it can splash out a little bit for other dogs,” said resident Claudia Hayes.

As farfetched as it sounds, this is a problem that’s emerged in the news before. In San Francisco last month, a three-story lamp post fell onto a car, narrowly missing the driver.

City workers there said the lamp post had been corroded by urine. They recommended that dog owners steer their pooches toward fire hydrants instead, which are made of cast iron.

As for the owner of that car, Lisa Kornfeld, she said the accident was unexpected, though she says the corrosive aspect makes sense.

“My dogs walk here,” she said. “I can’t guarantee they haven’t peed on this street light.”

The summer season may soon be coming to an end, but San Diego Lifeguards expect big crowds at local beaches this weekend, soaking in the heat wave.

The hot weather has led to warmer water at San Diego beaches, including Ocean Beach, where surfers reported water temps around 75 degrees Thursday evening.

Lt. James Gartland, Marine Safety Lieutenant for City of San Diego Lifeguards, said the water warm-up will likely bring in big beach crowds over the next few days, and lifeguards will increase staffing at local beaches to meet that demand.

“We’ve got warm temperatures, we’ve got 76-degree ocean water, we have a large pushing southwest swell and people will be coming to the beach,” Lt. Gartland told NBC 7.

On Friday, lifeguards were busy patrolling beaches, keeping an eye on those swimming in the ocean. Beaches were packed with locals and tourists alike, including many families with little ones.

“We just try to keep them as close as possible, and teach them that the water can be dangerous,” said father Robert Colarusso, referring to his kids. “It’s fun but it’s very dangerous, so they have to stay close and be careful.”

Though there is not a rip current warning in effect this weekend, Lt. Gartland said swimmers should know the rip current is pulling moderately, so inexperienced swimmers could still wind up in trouble.

Lt. Gartland recommends swimmers wear a Coast Guard-approved life jacket and swim near a lifeguard tower. If you get caught in a rip current, don’t panic. Lt. Gartland said you should wave your arms to get the attention of lifeguards.

Last weekend, Labor Day weekend, San Diego Lifeguards performed more than 600 rescues across local beaches. With large groups expected to hit beaches once again this weekend, officials are bracing themselves for potential rescues.

Meanwhile, the National Weather Service (NWS) has issued a heat advisory for San Diego County that will remain in effect through at least 6 p.m. Friday, citing high temps of 96 to 101 degrees inland.

The NWS said the hot weather will bring higher risk of heat stroke, so locals should take precautions and limit their time outside, keeping strenuous activities to the early morning or evening hours. Wearing lightweight clothing, taking frequent breaks in shaded or air conditioned spaces and drinking plenty of water are also crucial ways to beat the heat and prevent heat-related illness.

Looking ahead, NBC 7 meteorologist Whitney Southwick said a gradual cool down should begin Saturday, with a 4 to 8-degree drop in temperatures.

Friday’s forecast included temps in the low-90s along the coast and mid to upper-90s inland. Those areas saw a mix of sun, clouds and humidity throughout the day, too. Southwick said there was a 30 percent chance of thunderstorms in the mountains Friday and in the desert.
 

As San Diego Fire-Rescue officials investigated a bluff collapse in La Jolla Friday, several people watched the activity while floating in a backyard pool hanging over the erosion in California.

San Diego Lifeguards had the beach blocked off below the home on Sea Ridge Drive, south of Bird Rock soon after the collapse was reported at 1:15 p.m.

There was a large amount of material on the beach, lifeguards said.

A section of the cliff directly beneath the corner of a backyard patio appeared to be missing. As a result, some pipes were visible, and water from the pool started leaking down the cliff side, officials said.

Two men in SDFD uniforms walked to the edge of the patio to survey the damage. In the meantime, several women continued to swim in the pool.

After a city engineer arrived to inspect the damage, he placed a yellow card on the home, which means you can enter the house but not the backyard.

The people in the home are renting it for vacation this week. Fire officials say people were inside the pool at the time of the collapse, but no one was injured.

The renters were given another house in which they can finish their vacation, according to the SDFD.

Ed Wrench, a next-door neighbor, said he has been watching the bluff erode since he moved in during the 1950s. He fears his backyard might fall to the beach one day.

"I haven't been down to the beach for the last six months probably, but the last time I looked, there's probably no dirt back to where [his] fence is right now. The concrete is just hanging off the edge." 

When he was a child, he said, the cliff extended another 15 feet.

Officials are waiting on a geologist to determine what caused the sudden erosion.

Strong winds were blamed for knocking over a construction crane at one of Islam's holiest shrines in the Saudi city of Mecca, killing 107 worshippers and injuring 238 others, ahead of the start of the annual hajj pilgrimage later this month NBC News reported.

"Heavy rain and strong winds of unusually high speed led to the uprooting of trees, the fall of panels and the collapse of the crane," General Suleiman al-Amr, director general of the Civil Defense Authority, told the Saudi-owned channel, adding that the death toll may increase.

An investigation has been ordered into the disaster by Mecca's governor, Prince Khaled al-Faisal, according to Al Arabiya.

 Firefighters quickly put out an El Cajon fire at an apartment complex. 

The blaze broke out at 8:58 a.m. on the 1000 block of North Mollison Avenue, Heartland Fire officials said. 

The fire was knocked down by 9:14 a.m. 

No further information was immediately available. 

Refresh this page for updates on this breaking news story.