On Monday night, November 2, Fire Associates was paged for a fire burning in the Calderon Tire building. John Whiteside, who had been listening to his scanner, was already in route to get Support Unit 2 when the 10:45 P.M. page was issued. John was met on scene by FASCV members Mike Chappell, John Whitaker and Brian Woodson.
Located near the northwest corner of South First Street and Union Ave., the fire was burning tires and other garage-type material stored inside the old, brick building. Soon after arriving, San Jose Fire declared it a defensive event and hit the fire with three master-streams from Trucks 1, 3 and 4. At the height of the fire, flames were reported to be shooting 65 to 70 feet high.
Support 2 provided coffee, donuts and water to some tired firefighters on a relatively mild Fall evening. After the main blaze had been knocked down, Foam 29 was called into service to supply Truck 3 and eventually bring the fire under control. By daybreak, the cause of the fire was still under investigation.
- A news story about the fire can be read at: Fire Destoys Tire Shop
- John Whitaker's photos can be viewed at: SJS - Calderon Tire Fire
