38,000 pounds of illegal fireworks seized, 2 arrested after San Jose storage unit fire
SAN JOSE – Ahead of the July 4 holiday, two people have been arrested and 38,000 pounds of illegal fireworks have been seized following an investigation into a massive fire at a storage facility in South San Jose earlier this month.
According to police, 45-year-old Anthony Dasilva and 25-year-old Nathaniel Valassis were arrested Thursday connection with the fire, which broke out at the Public Storage on 88 Blossom Hill Road on the evening of June 14. Multiple explosions were reported during the fire.
"The cause of the actual fire is still unknown," said Sergeant Jorge Garibay. "But we believe that the fireworks were a contributing factor to why the fire was so outrageous."
By many accounts it was an outrageous fire on June 14th, and it was easy to see why. The flames erupting from the Public Storage were fueled by a stash of illegal fireworks.
As soon as the flames died back investigators started looking closer. First, they went through more storage units, and they say they just kept finding more and more fireworks. The grand total, nearly 20 tons worth of product they came from out of state - or overseas.
"The culmination of all those search warrants is approximately 38,000 pounds of illegal fireworks," Garibay said Friday.
Along with the large cache of fireworks, police said they also seized 13 ounces of marijuana, 200 grams of cocaine and marijuana, all intended for sale, along with $4,800 in cash and a semiautomatic firearm.
Dasilva and Valassis have been booked into the Santa Clara County Jail on multiple offenses. It was not known when the pair would appear in court on the charges.
Wilson Walker contributed reporting.