Just before 7 a.m. on Jan. 2, nine residents living in a single-story dwelling in downtown San Jose escaped a stubborn blaze that destroyed their home.
The house that burned, a renovated Victorian structure, was subdivided into multiple rental units including a basement apartment.
When first due Engine Company 8 arrived on the scene they found the structure to be well-involved with fire blowing from windows and threatening an adjacent home.
Firefighters were able to knock down the main body of the fire, but not before flames breeched the attic and consumed portions of the basement.
Damage to the structure was extensive, with most of the residents having lost the majority of their belongings.
Amazingly all of the residents escaped the fire unharmed. It took over 20 firefighters to finally control and extinguish the fire. The cause of the blaze remains under investigation.
