Around noon on Friday October 3, Santa Clara County Fire received reports of a fire in a home located at 1964 Villarita Drive, Campbell. This area of Campbell is often served by the San Jose Fire Department on "AutoAid". However, the initial request for San Jose Engine 14 to respond was not filled as Engine 14 was already on a smoke investigation in a nearby area of San Jose.
It didn't take long for everyone to realize that these two events were likely related, and Engine 14 attached to the County incident. Arriving on scene first, SJ Engine 14 reported pressurized white smoke from the building, and a probable rescue requirement, with reports of an invalid person inside the home. When County Battalion 72 arrived and assumed IC, he requested a second alarm due the significant amount of fire inside the structure and the ongoing search for occupants.
The fire apparently started as a kitchen fire-on-the-stove incident, but spread through the flue into the attic. Once established in the attic, the fire ran the entire space one end of the building to the other, doing significant damage to the interior of the structure process.
It was over 90 degrees in the midday sun and Fire Support Unit 2 was quickly en route to the scene with Fire Associates member Bruce Dembecki. FSU-2 was met on scene by FASCV members Jerry Haag, Don Gilbert, John Whitaker, and Mike Garcia. Cold water, Gatorade, and Lemonade were popular as crews tried to beat the heat and stay hydrated.
FSU-2 was released from the incident, along with most other crews, by 2:30 P.M.
-- Report submitted by Bruce Dembecki
