On Tuesday morning, December 23, Fire Associates was paged by Santa Clara County Fire to 18445 Shadowbrook Way in Morgan Hill. Responding to the 5:14 A.M. page was John Whiteside and Don Gilbert in Support Unit 2. Meeting them on scene were Mike Chappell and John Whitaker. Mike lives only a few blocks from the fire scene.
The fire was located to the west of Monterey Hwy., very near County Sta. 12, just up Llagas Rd. The garage of the 2,050 sq. ft. home was fully involved when Eng. 12 arrived on scene. Limited access to the structure hampered early firefighting efforts. The single-story home was located down a long, narrow driveway off the cul-de-sac. As the fire burned in the garage, the residents first awoke when their power went out. They then noticed smoke coming under their bedroom door and evacuated the structure. A Corvette was destroyed in the garage and a Mazda SUV and a pick-up were destroyed and/or damaged in the driveway.
Firefighters were happy to see our donuts and coffee arrive as the early morning weather was cold and damp. Rain was in the vicinity, but fortunately stayed away for the duration of the event. The support unit was released from service shortly before 9:00 A.M.
- To view John Whitaker's photos, link to: CNT - 18445 Shadowbrook Way
