Saturday, September 29, 2012

Warehouse Burns to the Ground in San Jose

  
Photo By John Whitaker
The last week of September continued to be busy for Fire Associates as we were called to a warehouse fire north of downtown San Jose. The request for help came from San Jose Fire Department dispatchers at 2:45 P.M. on Saturday, September 29. The 2-alarm fire was burning in a warehouse at 435 E. Hedding Street. Don Gilbert and John Whitaker responded in Fire Support Unit 2 while FASCV members Jerry Haag, George Hoyt, Mike Wagner, Dan Wong and guest, Walter Huber, met them on scene.

The warehouse was fully involved when firefighters arrived and the firefighting effort went defensive immediately. Truck 30 set up a master stream on the east side of the warehouse while Truck 1 set up their "stick" on the west side. From that point on, it was a matter of flooding the seemingly abandoned Allied Container Corporation warehouse and protecting some nearby apartment complexes. Complicating the effort was a Union Pacific railroad line on the west side of the structure and a rail siding on the east side.
    
Photo By John Whitaker
An informal rehab area was set up on N. 10th Street with cold water and Gatorade in demand. Although the effort was defensive, firefighters were hot and tired on a very warm afternoon. With the structure mostly burned to the ground, very little overhaul was required and rehab was broken down and FSU-2 released shortly after 4:00 P.M.
-- Report Submitted by John Whitaker