A two-alarm fire of unknown cause, but fueled by vegetation and two sources of natural gas, damaged two houses early today in the Berryessa neighborhood of northern San Jose.
A neighbor noticed the fire between two houses on the 1900 block of Grosvenor Drive and woke the residents. Firefighters were called at about 12:30 a.m. to the scene of the fire, which ignited some Italian cypress trees growing between the two houses.
No one was injured in the fire, which remains under investigation.
Preliminary investigation suggested that there may have been a small natural gas leak near the gas meter outside one of the houses, said San Jose fire Capt. Allison Cabral. That would have intensified the flames, which then melted the gas meter on the neighboring house, adding even more fuel to the fire.
Firefighters used a misting nozzle on a fire hose to create a safe space in the midst of the flames, allowing a firefighter to approach and close the gas shutoff valves, Cabral said.
The fire was declared under control at about 4:20 a.m., but only after it had destroyed the garage and damaged the attic of one house, and damaged the exterior garage wall and eaves of the other. Structural damage was estimated at $50,000 for the first house and $20,000 to $30,000 for the second. About $5,000 worth of contents were also destroyed, Cabral said. Both houses are still habitable.
