On Wednesday morning, December 16, San Jose Fire called for Fire Associates aid. The page for help was sent out at 2:16 A.M. and John Whiteside responded in Support Unit 2 to 158 Avenida Espana. He was met on scene by John Whitaker and later joined by FASCV members Jerry Haag and Mike Chappell.
Located just off Santa Teresa Blvd., in the extreme southern portion of San Jose, the 2-alarm fire consumed most of a one-story residence. The home was occupied by an elderly couple and their middle-aged son. The mother and father escaped the inferno, but their son did not. Initial reports indicated that he had initially made it out of the structure and possibly went back in, but that has not been confirmed as of this writing.
FASCV members were kept busy providing hot coffee on a cold and windy morning. Eventually, a light rain began to fall -- just enough to help make the morning more cold and miserable. Along about 4:00 A.M., FASCV was instructed to order 30 breakfast burritos for emergency personnel on scene. The challenge was to find a place open at that hour that could provide the meals. A 24-hr. Jack-in-the-Box, located several miles away, fit the bill. Meals were then picked up and served.
Support Unit 2 was released at approximately 6:15 A.M.
- A San Jose Mercury-News story can be read at: Overnight Fire in South San Jose
- John Whitaker's photos can be viewed at: SJS - Avenida Espana Fire
