July 4 grass fire in South Bay underscores potential danger of fireworks
SAN JOSE – Roughly two dozen firefighters attacked a suspicious grass fire that broke out just before the noon hour, marking the beginning of what could be a long, hot and potentially destructive Fourth of July holiday.
"It's taxing on our guys wearing all the equipment. It gets hot on the fire line when you're doing a direct attack," said Battalion Chief Shawn Tacklind of the San Jose Fire Department.
The fire department said the fire broke out in a vacant field off Yerba Buena Road in the Silver Creek neighborhood.
The fire at one point was spreading in several directions at once taxing firefighters who battled the flames with shovels, garden hoes and a roving water tender.
Neighbors like Anthony Mendoza say fires in this area are a perennial problem, especially around this time of year.
"It is nerve-racking. There are times when the smoke is so thick we can't see. Usually, we'd always hose our house down, he told KPIX.
The fire department was able to prevent the flames or windswept embers from reaching any nearby homes. The blaze blackened roughly five acres in total.
The fire department says arson investigators have been tasked with figuring out what might have sparked the blaze.
"That's always our forward-leaning stance, to fight fires aggressively but safely. That way, it limits danger to the public and ourselves," Tacklind said.