Three Large Blazes Keep San Jose Firefighters Busy

Oct. 29, 2012
It's been a busy 24-hour stretch for San Jose firefighters, who battled three large blazes in a span of 24 hours.

It's been a busy 24-hour stretch for San Jose firefighters, who battled three large blazes in a span of 24 hours.

Firefighters this morning knocked down a three-alarm blaze that swept through an empty building in South San Jose, according to fire Capt. Reggie Williams. Firefighters knocked down the blaze at 19600 Almaden Road, located near McKean Road, which once housed the Almaden Valley Gymnastics Club.

On Sunday morning, firefighters responded to a four-alarm blaze that tore through a row of townhouses in North San Jose. Sunday night, firefighters responded to a three-alarm blaze in North San Jose that displaced a family of ten. Six to eight puppies died in the blaze, Williams said.

Today at 3:53 a.m., firefighters responded to the blaze at Almaden Road and found heavy smoke pouring from the commercial building, Williams said. Firefighters called a third-alarm at 4:30 a.m.

Firefighters are treating the blaze as suspicious, in part because the building was vacant and was surrounded by a locked, cyclone fence.

So far there are no reports of injuries from the fire at Almaden Road, Williams said.

On Sunday at 8:35 p.m. firefighters responded to a three-alarm blaze that caused major damage to a house on Murtha Drive, Williams said. The blaze left the house uninhabitable and displaced a family of 10 people, Williams said.

The family lost six to eight puppies in the blaze.

A firefighter suffered a minor medical

emergency at the fire and was taken to a hospital, where he was treated and released, Williams said.

The fire is being treated as accidental but remains under investigation.

Sunday morning fire crews needed more than two hours to get the upper hand on a four-alarm blaze that tore through a row of townhouses Sunday morning at 3131 Creekside Drive. Five townhouses and six garages sustained moderate-to-major damage, Williams said.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation, but it appears to have started in a garage.

Copyright 2012 - San Jose Mercury News

McClatchy-Tribune News Service

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