Grass Fires Along Hwy. 237 Prove Challenging for Firefighters

    

Photo By John Whitaker

On Tuesday afternoon, May 14, John Whiteside was at San Jose Station 35 doing FSU-3 maintenance when a series of vegetation fires erupted along Hwy. 237 at North First Street in San Jose near the Sunnyvale border. With 3 different fire locations, totaling 4 acres, the event became a multi-alarm response for San Jose and Sunnyvale. San Jose sent 5 engines, 2 water tenders and 1 BC; Sunnyvale sent 5 engines and 1 BC.

  

The 237 Highway and N. First Street had to be shutdown in all directions due to smoke and also to allow fire equipment access along the westbound side to fight the fires. The water tenders and several engines made many water shuttles to the many engine companies who had hose lines deployed. Needless to say, at the height of the rush hour, this caused serious traffic problems. Engines were stationed on all the access ramps at the interchange as well as along the shoulder and slow lane of Hwy. 237.

   
The highway shutdown caused tremendous traffic jams in the high-tech area of north San Jose which lasted for several hours. There was a huge response by police officials from San Jose, Sunnyvale, and CHP for a massive traffic control effort.
   

Photo By Bruce Dembecki

Fire Associates were paged at 1438 hours for a Fire Support Unit response. After a telephone consultation with Jerry Haag and John Whitaker as to which unit would respond, John Whiteside quickly filled FSU-3’s potable water tank that he had just emptied and departed for the fires via Hwy. 101, arriving around 1500. He was joined on scene by FASCV members Bruce Dembecki, John Whitaker and Walter Huber (guest).
    
Rehab was set up next to the Incident Command vehicle and dispensed water, lemonade, Gatorade and Clif bars to firefighters. FSU-3 was released about 1700 and was in quarters at Station 35 by 1815. There were numerous smoke reports the following day, requiring engine responses to the same area.

• John Whitaker's photos can be viewed at:  Interchange Fires
     
• Bruce Dembecki's photos can be viewed at:  Hwy. 237 Fires
      
• An ABC7 News story can be read at:  Hwy 237 Reopens

-- Report submitted by John Whiteside

Sheriff's Dive Team Calls for Fire Associates

   

Photo By Los Gatos Patch

At approximately 1300 on Sunday, May 5, four adults in a canoe on a choppy Lexington Reservoir, near Los Gatos, suffered a boating mishap and were in 60+F degree water. Two adults made it safely to shore - but two others did not. A search was begun by quick-arriving Central Fire, County Parks, and the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Dive Team personnel. A helicopter and boats using electronic detection gear went to work. Within an hour, the first missing person was recovered and transported to a local hospital. The search continued for the fourth person.

   

At 1607, Fire Associates members were paged to respond with a Fire Support Unit. John Whiteside, who had been monitoring the event via radio, responded in FSU #3 from San Jose Station 35, arriving before 1700. Soon after John’s arrival, the fourth person was recovered and was also transported to a local hospital. George Hoyt picked up meals and Dan Wong assisted John in setting up equipment. Hot coffee, water, and Clif bars were the favorites, especially for the divers. Fire Associates were released around 1830.

• A San Jose Mercury News story can be read at:  Accident Drowns Two

   

-- Report submitted by John Whiteside

   

San Jose Paper Recycling Facility Fire Goes to A 3rd Alarm

  

Photo By John Whitaker

At approximately 6:00 P.M. on Thursday, May 2, as Fire Support Unit 2 was en route to the monthly Fire Associates meeting being held in Morgan Hill, San Jose Fire received reports of a blaze in the recycling facility at 388 E. Alma Ave. The first unit on the air was John Whiteside in Fire Support 2 reporting "Smoke Showing" from Capitol Expressway. After reporting on this condition, FSU-2 continued to the scheduled meeting in Morgan Hill.
   
Over on Alma Ave., a fire had started in the recycled cardboard bales. Units had huge amounts of fuel in the form of bales of cardboard to contend with, and the incident quickly escalated to a second and then 3rd alarm. With 90+ degree heat that evening, and what was clearly going to be an extended operation, IC B/C Robert Sapien requested a Fire Associates response with the 2nd alarm.
  
FSU-2 was already committed to southbound Hwy. 101, so Fire Associates member Bruce Dembecki responded to San Jose Fire Station 35 to pick up Support Unit 3. En route, the incident was escalated to a 3rd alarm. Upon arrival, Bruce set up Rehab outside the main gate of the facility on E. Alma Ave. with the help of FASCV guest, Walter Huber. While cold drinks were the priority, incident commanders were also concerned about feeding their crews as those one scene with the first and second alarms had been dispatched before they had eaten their evening meals.
  
Walter Huber made a food run while Bruce dealt with Rehab and the fire crews dealt with the blaze.
    
The only way to extinguish the piles of burning cardboard was to get in and break up the bales. With the help of the facility's front-end loaders, crews started unstacking the burning bales and breaking them up, while Trucks 1 and 30 ran their Master streams over on the B/C corner. Foam Unit 29 was also called in to lend a hand. It was going to be a long night for fire crews.
   
With the high heat and the physical nature of the work, cold drinks were in demand, and the ice supply in FSU-3 started to run low. John Whiteside in FSU-2 arrived at just the right time, fully loaded with ice. Along with John, Fire Associates members John Whitaker and George Hoyt also arrived after the Fire Associates meeting to lend a hand.
  
By 11:00 P.M., the initial crews on scene had been replaced with a smaller contingent of fresh crews, ostensibly to maintain "Fire Watch" overnight. The fire was certainly contained, but the cardboard bales were still burning and still being pulled apart, and the new trucks set up in place of the original trucks and ran their Master Streams. With fresh crews and plans for replacements every 3 hours during the night, Rehab was disbanded and Fire Support Unit 3 was released around 11:30 P.M.

• John Whitaker's photos can be view at:  Alma Ave. Fire
   
• Bruce Dembecki's photos can be seen at:  Paper Recycling Fire

-- Report submitted by Bruce Dembecki

2-Alarm San Jose House Fire Requires Extensive Overhaul

   

Photo By Bruce Dembecki

At 5:00 P.M. on Tuesday, April 30, the San Jose Fire Department received reports of a house on fire at 5963 Garces Ave. Arriving units reported heavy smoke coming from the eaves of the building and discovered an exterior trash fire on the "Bravo" side that had spread to the building's interior and attic. The house was under renovation and, other than a single worker who tried to extinguish the blaze, it was unoccupied.
  
Crews went to work on the attic fire but firefighting efforts were hampered by a metal clad roof covering an old shake roof. The flames were eating away on the wooden shake roof while the metal clad covering made access very difficult. With an extended overhaul operation apparent, the IC requested Fire Associates assistance at approximately 5:40 P.M. Shortly after that, a request was made for a second alarm. It became apparent that extra manpower would be needed for the overhaul.
   
Fire Associates member Don Gilbert brought Fire Support Unit 2 to the scene where he was met by FASCV members Bruce Dembecki, John Whitaker and John Whiteside. Cold drinks and snacks were provided, while Bruce and John Whitaker assisted Med 30 with the Rehab Sector to enable Med 30 to focus on his PIO functions.
    
FSU 2 was released from the scene at 8:00 P.M.

• Bruce's photos can be viewed at:  Garces Ave. Fire
    
• John' photos are at:  House Fire

-- Report submitted by Bruce Dembecki

Mountain View Firefighters Respond to 2-Alarm Hotel Blaze

  


Photo Courtesy of Mt. View Fire Dept.

Date and Time: 04-28-2013, 1854 hours
Agency:  Mountain View  Fire
Incident Address: 1720 W. El Camino Real, Mountain View
Type: Second alarm
  
Details: Large, two-story motel, vacant and awaiting demolition. Fire on "A" side of first floor, spread vertically to second floor and roof. With lots of fire and no life hazard, it was a great training opportunity.
  
Agency Responders:
MTV: E-1, 2, 3, 4, 5; T-1; R-1; IC- Batt. 18  (Act. B/C Custodio)
PAF: Engine-5 (coverage), R-2; BS-2; and Batt. 6
CNT: E-15 (coverage), T-14

FASCV Responding Units: FSU-4. Arrived: 1910, released: 2130 hours. FSU-1. Arrived 1930.
FASCV Responders: Larry Carr (driver, FSU-4), Ron Green, Bob Gundrum, Jerry Haag, Wagner (driver, FSU-1), Len Williams and Dan Wong.

• A press release from MVFD can be read at:  2-Alarm Fire
   
• An on-line news story from Mountain View Voice can be read at:  Tropicana Hotel

-- Report submitted by Jerry Haag
  

Historic Bike Shop Burns in San Jose

   

Photo By John Whitaker

One of San Jose's oldest buildings burned in a 3-alarm fire on April 25th. Built in 1885, the wooden, Victorian structure suffered severe fire damage and may be lost to preservationists. Firefighters found the entire second floor of the structure ablaze when the arrived at 702 S. First Street. When a third alarm was called at 9:52 P.M., a Fire Associates response was requested for Rehab.
   
This structure should be familiar to many San Jose residents as it has served as a saloon, blacksmith shop and bike shop for approximately 128 years. For the past several decades, the building has been leaning at what appeared to be a severe angle while still being occupied. As drivers entered the Southbound Interstate 280 freeway onramp located directly across the street, it was hard to miss this landmark.
   
Because of the building's stability issues, the firefight operated primarily in a defensive mode. At one point, live wires came down forcing fire crews to temporarily abandon several of their rigs in response to a "life Safety" alert. Firefighters did an amazing job keeping the damage basically confined to the second floor of the entirely wood building.
  
Bruce Dembecki and Don Gilbert arrived at the fire in Fire Support Unit 2 and a rehab area was quickly established on a sidewalk near the command center. Hot coffee, cold drinks and Clif Bars were provided as the usual fare. Rehab was in operation until fire crews were released shortly after midnight.

• John Whitaker's photos can be viewed at:  Faber Bike Shop Fire
     
• Bruce Dembecki's photos can be viewed at:  Victorian Fire
   
• A San Jose Mercury News story can be read at:  Faber's Cyclery Fire

-- Report submitted by John Whitaker
 

Milpitas Fire Responds to Mid-day Apartment Blaze

Photo By John Whitaker

 
Date and Time: 04-23-2013, 1122 hours
Agency: Milpitas Fire
Incident Address: 428 Dempsey Rd., Milpitas
Type: Second alarm
 
Details: Two-story, garden apartment building. Fire on the second floor was well developed before arrival of first unit. Fire damage largely confined to unit of origin with minimal spread to adjacent apartment.
  
Agency Responders:
MLP: E-101, 201, 3; T-1, 4; USAR-1; XSC Medic-33; IC- Batt. 19 (Mihovich)
Fremont: Engine, Truck and B/C (released before /FASCV arrival)
SJS: Station coverage
 
FASCV Responding Units: FSU-1. Arrived: 1215, released: 1300 hours.
FASCV Responders: Ron Green (driver), Jerry Haag, John Whitaker, Dan Wong and Walter Huber (guest).

• John's photos can be viewed at:  Apartment Fire

-- Report submitted by Jerry Haag 
 

Debris Fire Escalates to 3-Alarm Structure Blaze in East San Jose

    

Photo By John Whitaker

It's not often that a debris pile fire escalates into a 3-alarm house fire, but that's exactly what happened on April 17 in East San Jose. With a steady, warm wind blowing, sparks or flames from a backyard pile of vegetation climbed up the exterior wall of the 2-story home and into the attic space. Neighbors spotted smoke from the fire and called the San Jose Fire Department to the home located at 2169 Ruby Ave.
    
The first-arriving fire units immediately went into attack mode while later-arriving firefighters protected the homes to the south of the blaze. The first BC on scene reported that he found the flames "blowing horizontally out of the upper-floor windows like a blowtorch." The house nextdoor to the involved structure had a metal roof and there was serious concern that burning embers could be blown underneath the roof and ignite the wood rafters. The involved homes' lone occupant was asleep at the time the fire started and was awakened by neighbors pounding on the door. He was able to escape the building with no apparent injury.
  

Photo By John Whitaker

When a third alarm was called for the blaze, Fire Associates was paged and John Whiteside arrived in Fire Support Unit 3. He was met on scene by FASCV members John Whitaker, Dan Wong, George Hoyt and Walter Huber (guest). A formal rehab area was set up in an adjoining driveway and firefighters cooled down with lots of ice cold water, Gatorade and Lemonade.

• John Whitaker's photos can be viewed at:  Ruby Ave. Fire
    
• A KPIX TV News story and video can be seen at:  Resident Escapes Fire

-- Report submitted by John Whitaker
 

3-Alarm Sunnyvale Fire Results In Third Call of the Day for FASCV

  

Photo By Bruce Dembecki

Date and  Time: 04-15-2013, 2239 hours
Agency: Sunnyvale Fire
Incident Address: 732 E. El Camino Real, Sunnyvale
Type: Third alarm
 
Details: Multiple occupancy strip mall. One unit charged with smoke down to the floor upon arrival of first unit. Brief interior attack before safety concerns forced shift to defensive. Fire spread to two adjoining occupancies but was prevented from spreading to attached buildings on both sides by application of strong hose streams, two of which were elevated (SNY T-1, SNC T-8), to protect existing fire walls. Three tenancies severely damaged, little damage to exposures. Final extinguishment was made more difficult by multiple layered roof surface.
 
Agency Responders:
SNY: E-1, 2, 3, 4, 30, 40, 60; T-1, 2, 2; R-2; XSC Medic-42; IC- Batt. 1 (Rushmeyer)
SNC: E-10; T-8
CNT: E-1
PAF: R-2; BS-2
MTV: station coverage  
 
FASCV Responding Units: FSU-1. Arrived: 2300, released: 0300 hours, April 16.
FASCV Responders: Larry Carr, Bruce Dembecki, Jerry Haag (driver), Len Williams, Dan Wong. and Walter Huber (guest).

• Bruce Dembecki's photos can be viewed at:  Sunnyvale Blaze

-- Report submitted by Jerry Haag
 

3-Alarm San Jose House Fire Results in 2 Fatalities

   

Photo By John Whitaker

Just before 9:00 P.M., on April 15, Fire Associates was called to a house fire in San Jose. Located at 949 S. Daniel Way, neighbors first reported the fire to the San Jose Fire Department shortly before 8:30 P.M. The first engine on scene reported flames showing from the "Charlie" side on the structure and additional flames rolling out the "Alpha" side door. Additionally, neighbors reported that the home was occupied by an elderly woman and her adult son -- and they were not present outside the structure.
  
As firefighters quickly attacked the blaze with multiple hose lines, truck companies were assigned to do a primary search. It was not long before the 95-year-old woman was found in a rear bedroom. Firefighters brought her out through a window and CPR was immediately started. Unfortunately, she could not be revived and was pronounced deceased on scene. The body of her son was found later in the night, still in the building. The double fatalities had a profound effect on all the emergency personnel on scene.
  

Photo By Craig Allyn Rose

Meanwhile, high winds threatened to spread the fire and a third alarm was called. Fire Associates was paged as part of the multi-alarm dispatch and John Whiteside responded with Fire Support Unit 2. He was met on scene by Jerry Haag, John Whitaker, Dan Wong, George Hoyt and Walter Huber (guest). A rehab area was quickly established and firefighters were provided with lots of hot coffee and nutrition bars on an unusually cold and windy April evening.

• John's photos can be viewed at:  Daniel Way Fire
     
• Craig Allyn Rose's photos can be seen at:  San Jose House Fire

-- Report submitted by John Whitaker