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| Photo By John Whitaker |
Sometimes, being close doesn't help.
When a fire broke out at Manresa Restaurant on Monday, July 7, Santa Clara County Fire's Los Gatos Station was literally across the street. But, the 4:00 A.M. fire had a head start, and it was already a roaring blaze by the time Engine 83 got on scene. Located at 320 Village Lane in the downtown area of Los Gatos, the restaurant is world-renowned for it's gourmet cuisine.
When crews arrived, the fire appeared to be burning on the outside of the structure with extension into the roof area above the kitchen. Shortly after the fire attack began, a decision was made to go defensive as the roof was fully involved and in danger of collapsing. By the time a second alarm was called, the fire had run through the restaurant's attic area. According to news reports, the restaurant is not destroyed, but it will take some time to replace the roof and repair smoke and water damage to the interior.
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| Photo By John Whitaker |
With the second alarm, Fire Associates was paged to respond for assistance with Rehab. Answering the 4:21 A.M. call was Don Gilbert and John Whiteside in Fire Support Unit 2. Meeting them on scene was FASCV member John Whitaker who was able to direct them to the rehab location on the corner of Village Lane and Petticoat Lane (yes, Petticoat Lane!). As Rehab was being established, FASCV president, Jerry Haag arrived on scene to lend a hand.
Lots of coffee and donuts were consumed by hungry firefighters who had not yet had breakfast and were burning lots of calories. They quickly consumed the first 2 dozen donuts, with John Whitaker taking off in his personal car to a nearby donut shop to get another dozen. It didn't take long before those, too, were gone! After all firefighters had been served and the crews were beginning to be released, Rehab was demobed at approximately 8:30 A.M.
- More of John Whitaker's photos can be viewed at: Manresa Fire
- A link to a CBS5 TV video is at: CBS5 Video
