Downtown San Jose House Fire Starts A Rash of Jan. 9th Responses for FASCV Members

    

Photo By John Whitaker

At approximately 4:00 A.M. on Thursday, Jan. 9, Fire Associates members were paged to a fire burning in the Naglee Park residential neighborhood. Located east of San Jose State University at 123 S. 17th Street, the fire was burning in a classic, old craftsman-style home. Firefighters from all over the downtown area arrived on the scene to find the front porch totally engulfed and the fire spreading rapidly. Initially, the residents were unaccounted for, so primary search operations were put into effect. Eventually, fire crews found the occupants in the rear yard of the property, having escaped out the back of the structure.
    
Firefighters had a tough time suppressing the blaze as the heavy wood timbers used in the home provided a lot of fuel for the blaze. Once the fire was under control, a lot of overhaul was required as the two-story home had been severely damaged.
   
Don Gilbert responded to the scene in Fire Support Unit 2 with John Whiteside. Upon arrival, they were met by FASCV member John Whitaker who had already met up with SJFD's Med30 supervisor. Rehab had been set up in the front yard of a neighbor's home and a formal rehab scenario was already in progress. Med30 had totally run our of fluids for the exhausted firefighters, so FSU-2 replenished his supply. FSU-2 also provided scene lighting as truck companies were released back into service.
     
But, just as fire crews were being released to return to quarters, news of another fire called them back into action.
   

It was approximately 5:40 A.M. when a warehouse caught fire 11 blocks to the northeast of this fire. FSU-2 was quickly released by the 17th Street IC to respond to the new blaze. A column of smoke from that fire was already visible in the early morning darkness!
   
A report on this second major fire of the morning can be read in another post in this blog page.

• John Whitaker's photos can be viewed at:  17th Street House Fire

• A San Jose Mercury News story can be read at:  Burning Home

-- Report submitted by John Whitaker