It was 1:37 PM on Tuesday, July 28, when Fire Associates was paged by Santa Clara County Fire to a second-alarm inferno. This time (it was our second call in 24 hours) the fire was in Los Gatos and involved one of the city's classic old homes. Located at 15945 Camino del Cerro, on the corner of Blossom Hill Rd., the 2-story home suffered severe damage to the attic and second floor.
Responding to the scene in Support Unit 2 was Don Gilbert who was joined by FASCV members George Hoyt and John Whitaker. Support Unit 2 was quickly on the scene as Don was already in the rig returning a tool to the County Fire Maintenance Shop. Rehab was set up on a side-street just north of the fire to take advantage of some shade on an 80-degree summer afternoon. Lemonade and cold drinks were so in demand that a seperate trip to the store to get more ice was needed.
Built in 1892, knocked off its foundation in the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, and restored in 1992, this building is on the city's historic landmarks list. With the owner standing by watching, firefighters quickly kept the damage to a minimum under difficult circumstances. The building's steep roof and wrap-around porch, made access to the fire tricky. Also, because of the steepness of the street, it was not possible to safely position a ladder truck for aerial access to the roof.
A very interesting video of the event can be seen at: Fire at Historic Home
John's photos of the event can bee seen at: CNT - Los Gatos House Fire
Los Gatos Observer news story can be read at: 2nd-Alarm Fire in Los Gatos
