Fire destroys abandoned homes near downtown San Jose
A fire burned through two boarded-up houses near downtown San Jose Tuesday, destroying both and sending up large columns of smoke that could be seen for miles.
The San Jose Fire Department said on social media that the fire was burning on the 100 block of N. 4th Street, one block east of St. James Park. The initial call was made at 11:42 a.m. and the fire went to a second alarm within minutes.
One house at 152 N. 4th St. a single-story home, was completely consumed by flames that spread to the abandoned two-story house next door at 146 N. 4th St. Both houses became completely engulfed and eventually collapsed.
UPDATE: Structure fire on N 4th St. upgraded to a Second Alarm. Please avoid the area. pic.twitter.com/zwd0BjXDtL
— San José Fire Dept. (@SJFD) March 26, 2024
Both houses were old Victorian homes, with the single-story home built in 1898 and the two-story house built in 1900, according to real estate website Redfin. Both were a total loss, the fire department said.
Even though both houses were boarded up, one person inside the two-story home was rescued by firefighters after flames spread to that home.
"These two houses that were destroyed had been vacant for some time, they've been chain-linked off, and we've had multiple fires in these structures, often as a result of some unhoused community members that are either doing warming fires or cooking fires," said San Jose Fire Battalion Chief Robert Culbertson. "In this particular case, we don't know exactly what started the fire, it's still under investigation. But this area certainly has a fire history like that."
Culbertson said firefighters observed unusual sparking from the power lines around the homes. Pacific Gas and Electric crews arrived to secure the power lines, leaving some 400 residents in the area without electricity during the fire investigation, he said.
A third home on the opposite side of the house where the fire began was occupied and threatened by the flames but firefighters were able to save it.
The fire department said no injuries were reported and no other residents were displaced besides the person inside one of the boarded-up homes.