San Jose Fire Responds to Downtown "High-rise" Fire

   

On Monday, June 20, shortly before 4:00 P.M. on a very hot, late Spring afternoon, the San Jose Fire Department asked for Fire Associates to respond to a downtown structure fire. John Whiteside and Bruce Dembecki responded in Support Unit 2 to the call at 56 S. Second Street. They were met on scene by John Whitaker, George Hoyt and Mike Chappell.

Although originally reported as a "fully involved apartment fire," the blaze was actually burning on the structure's roof. Apparently, the area functioned as a smoking deck for the building's residents. As temperatures registered well into the 90s, exhausted firefighters were met by lots of cold water and Gatorade when they arrived in Rehab. With the fire located on the fourth-floor roof, accessed by a narrow stairwell and exposed to the blazing sun, it proved to be a very tiring incident for all those involved. Fortunately, Rehab was located in the shade along the tree-lined sidewalk.

• John Whitaker's photos can be viewed at:  Downtown Structure Fire
  
  
• A San Jose Mercury News story can be read at:  Downtown Hi-rise Fire