SAN DIEGO (Kristina Davis / UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER ).— Two fires in two hours kept San Diego firefighters busy Thursday afternoon.

The first occurred at a downstairs apartment on Guy Street near Crowell Street in Midtown about 3 p.m. when a portable heater ignited furniture in a front room, said San Diego Fire-Rescue Department spokesman Maurice Luque.

The two adult residents were not home, but their two cats died.

The fire caused an estimated $125,000 in damage to the structure and contents. No other units were damaged.

At 4 p.m., another fire was reported at a two-story home on 59th Street near Kings View Court in Encanto. No one was home when firefighters arrived.

The blaze started in a bedroom and climbed up the walls into the attic, Luque said. It took firefighters about 10 minutes to knock down the fire.

The rest of the home suffered smoke damage. The cause is under investigation.

A woman and five children who live in the home were assisted by the Red Cross.