Early Thursday morning, Oct. 8, Fire Associates was paged to a house fire in northeast San Jose. The 3rd-alarm house fire was located at 754 N. White Road. John Whiteside responded to the 2:28 A.M. call in Support Unit 2 and was met by John Whitaker, Ron Green and Mike Chappell.
The house was almost fully involved when the first-responding fire units pulled up in front of the 2-story structure. Two of the occupants were standing on the street, but a third person was unaccounted for. Because of the intensity of the fire, an early defensive firefighting effort was required, which made any attempt of a rescue impossible. Unfortunately, later in the day, the remains of missing occupant were found on the second floor. Due to the instability of the structure, an extensive shoring effort was needed before the body could be removed by the Coroner's Office.
A rehab area was establish by SJFD Med30 and AMR on a nearby lawn and our Support Unit's portable lighting came in handy. FASCV supplied the usual early morning fare -- hot coffee and donuts. A considerable amount of water and other cold liquids were also in demand. As the morning progressed into the afternoon, Fire Associates also arranged for, delivered and served Togo's sandwiches, chips and fresh fruit.
The Support Unit was released at approximately 1:30 PM.
- A San Jose Mercury-News story can be read at: Fatality in East San Jose Fire
- John Whitaker's photos can be seen at: SJS - White Rd. Fire
- Craig Allyn Rose's photos are at: 754 N. White Rd.
