News - Statter911
Helmet-cam video: More from West Plains, Missouri thrift store fire with collapse.
More video from the fire Tuesday at the Ozark Treasures Thrift Store, 1026 St. Louis St. in West Plains, Missouri. This time is is helmet-cam video from part of the crew on the initial attack on the loading dock and rear of the store.
This video captures collapse the roof and wall on Side B and the removal of crews that were up close on Side A starting at 11:00 in the video.
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Must see video: Flaming runaway van rolls past firefighters onto freeway in San Jose, CA.
According to the description with the video above, this happened last Sunday at the 280-S exit near San Jose City College. No further details.
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Arrival video & fireground audio: West Plains, Missouri thrift store fire.
There has been a discussion going on since Wednesday in our comments section and on Facebook about video of a wall collapse at a fire Tuesday at the Ozark Treasures Thrift Store, 1026 St. Louis St. in West Plains, Missouri. Much of the discussion centered around two people who appeared to be near or in the collapse zone without PPE. One of them had been using a handline on the fire through the roof in the rear of the store. Other than a link to some good early still pictures that I don’t think everyone saw, the view was quite limited about what else was happening on the fireground.
The last couple years we have run many dash-cam and helmet-cam videos from West Plains and figured some would be coming from this fire. These two clips were posted yesterday and show the arrival of the first engine with smoke showing from the attic, initial fire department actions and the view from the front of the building.
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Another crash video: Fatal collision Tuesday as Russian rescue rig drives into oncoming tractor trailer.
Earlier today we posted a video of a fire truck versus car intersection collision from 2010. Our readers say this video is from Russia (but still no details on the crash).
What I didn’t know, but just ran across was this dramatic and tragic video of a collision between some sort of rescue vehicle and a tractor trailer that, according to the information on the video, occurred on Tuesday. The only information I have been able to find (unless someone is able to translate the TV news report below) is from LiveLeak that claims it happened in Spasskaya-Polist’, a town in Russia and that two people were killed.
Do you want to sell a rig? Click HERE to find out how with SellFireTrucks.com.Where in the world is this? Dashcam video of intersection crash between fire truck & car.
I saw this fire truck collision video on FirefighterSpot.com. If the date is correct it occurred on New Year’s Day 2010. But where did it happen? I am sure one of our readers can answer that question. Let us know in the comment section.
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Must see video: Portland, OR firefighter falls through roof on live TV.
At 1:16 on the video above you will see the clip of the firefighter falling through the roof.
Ten units responded to the blaze at The Village at Multnomah Condominiums, located at 9731 SW 40th Avenue in Portland, which broke out shortly after 4 p.m.
One firefighter fell through the roof while trying to fight the fire. From Sky-8, two other firefighters could be seen crawling over, peering into the hole, and then giving the “okay” signal. Fire dispatch radios also indicated the firefighter was okay.
Two firefighters were transported to an area hospital with burns on their knees and heat exhaustion, Corah said. A number of other people were being treated outside the apartment building for smoke inhalation.
Portland firefighters were called to The Village at Multnomah condominiums, at 7937 S.W. 40th Ave. in Portland, sometime before 4:30 p.m. Wednesday. Responders quickly called a second alarm on this fire.
Smoke could be seen from as far away as Interstate 5 and Southwest Capitol Highway.
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Two former NC fire chiefs found not guilty in case of junior firefighter shocked with stun gun. Incident happened at an East Spencer FD Christmas party.
Allen Carlyle on the left and Shane Cranfield on the right.
Click here to follow STATter911.com on Facebook (hit “like”) Previous STATter911.com coverage of this story here & hereTwo former East Spencer firefighters and a former police officer were found not guilty this week during a non-jury trial five months after a junior firefighter was shocked with a stun gun.
The incident was said to have occurred at a department Christmas party. The two firefighters — former Chief Shane Cranfield and former Assistant Chief Allen Carlyle — were accused of using a stun gun on junior firefighter John Resino, 18.
According to arrest warrants, the stun gun came from former East Spencer Police Officer James Lambeth.
“I want to say thank you to all my true friends who stood behind me,” Shane Cranfield told WBTV Tuesday afternoon. When asked if had been confident about the outcome, Cranfield said “I had my doubts, I knew I didn’t do it, but I still.”
Cranfield said he believed inconsistencies in Resino’s story led to the not guilty verdict. Even though he was found not guilty, Cranfield said the accusations have taken their toll.
“I have lost my position as the Chief of the East Spencer fire department, as well as my part time paid position. My reputation, career, and life have been ran threw the mud and destroyed. I have been blacked balled throughout the county and shunned by people I have known for years and considered to be my brothers. Along with me, two other people, firefighter Alan Carlyle and officer James Lambeth, have also faced the same ridicule and public embarrassment as myself.”
Do you want to sell a rig? Click HERE to find out how with SellFireTrucks.com.Public pressure forces removal of beer at Colorado firehouse. Former firefighter tells reporter ‘people have showed up visibly impaired’ at fires.
When we brought you the stories last week about the controversy over alcohol inside New Jersey’s Hillsdale VFD many commented that bars in firehouse is really just an issue in the Northeast portion of the country. But this story is from Yuma County, Colorado and involves the long time practice of having kegs of beer stocked inside the Wauneta Volunteer Fire Department for use by the firefighters.
In New Jersey, the fire department prevailed after a city councilman/fire commissioner expressed concerns in a public meeting about the liability of firefighters drinking. The bar remains and the councilman is gone.
In Colorado, a couple who had been involved with the department and originally purchased the kegs years ago, won the battle. With the help of a Denver TV station, Dean and Sue Jarrett were able to get the leaders of the department to back down and reverse the policy of having beer in the firehouse and allowing firefighters to drink at meetings and after calls.
Dean Jarrett, who had been a 28-year member and treasurer of WVFD, told KCNC-TV investigative reporter Brian Maass, that his position on this changed when he saw volunteers drinking during a CPR class at the firehouse. Jarrett also told Maass, “Without a doubt, people have showed up visibly impaired (at fires)”.
Sue Jarrett, who made it clear she was going to fight this over the long haul, told the reporter, “And they have taken something admirable and they’ve turned it into their own personal man cave. We’re going to do what we want. Leave us alone. And they are putting people in jeopardy.”
Despite the board voting unanimously on May 7 to remove the kegs, as in Hillsdale, New Jersey, there are a lot of people who didn’t have a big problem with beer for firefighters. Among them Fire Chief Jeff Gallegos. Here’s some of what he said to the TV station:
“I don’t have a big problem with it. If we’ve had a few beers we’re not going to jump on the truck and drive it. I don’t think we have that big an issue. People don’t feel we should be told what we can and can’t do when we’re volunteering our time.”
And the policy had support from top elected officials:
State Sen. Greg Brophy, R-Wray, who represents the area, contacted CBS4 to say he had no problem with kegs in the firehouse noting that the nearest liquor stores are in Wray, 15 miles away, making it difficult for firefighters to pick up beers after they’ve been out on a call, especially if its late at night after the liquor stores have closed.
Brophy called Jarrett and his wife “professional cranks” who had alienated the community for years.
The TV station also contacted Ron Graton, Executive Director of the Colorado State Fire Fighters Association, who seemed to stake out some middle ground on the issue:
“We feel that having alcohol in the fire station is an issue of local control. We do feel it leads to many issues that complicate the fire fighting aspect.”
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The video above is from Ozark Radio News of a fire at a thrift store on Tuesday in West Plains, Missouri. A collapse occurs at the 5:00 point in the video.
Ed Button, ozarkareanetwork.com:
The Ozark Treasures Thrift Store, 1026 St. Louis St. in West Plains, sustained crippling damage after an intense fire burned on Tuesday.
Firefighters from the West Plains and Howell Rural Fire Departments were called to the scene just after 4 PM on Tuesday and found excessive smoke coming from the building where the old Stanley grocery store once was. Crews with the West Plains Fire Department were still on-scene as of 9 PM. Howell Rural cleared the scene around 6:30 PM.
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Raw video & pictures: Man rescued from balcony at rooming house in Ottawa.
CBC:
Emergency crews responded to 511 Kent Street just before 7 p.m. Monday after people spotted the blaze. The building, which has a sign outside reading Arlington Bed and Breakfast, is a rooming house.
They also rescued one man, 47, who was trapped on a balcony. He suffered minor smoke inhalation and was transported to hospital as a precaution.
Ottawa Fire Service photo.
CTV:
Ten people have nowhere to stay after an intentionally-set fire at a central Ottawa bed and breakfast Monday night.
When they arrived they said the deck and back of the house were on fire, with flames coming through the roof.
Neighbours said a 47-year-old man was trapped on a balcony for about 15 minutes before he could be rescued and taken to hospital for smoke inhalation.
The blaze completely gutted the building, and damaged neighbouring homes, several bicycles and a car parked in the alley behind the building.
“Investigators eventually managed to get into the residence and they were able to confirm that it was an incendiary fire,” Ottawa Fire spokesperson Marc Messier tells 1310News. “So Ottawa police arson unit has been called in and they are taking the lead on this investigation.”
Messier says the fire started in a second floor hallway.
Ottawa Fire Service photo.
Ottawa fire service spokesman Marc Messier said the fire started on the second floor of the building in a hallway and spread to the exterior before moving up to the third floor and attic.
When firefighters were called smoke was billowing from the rear of the two-and-a-half storey multi-unit complex and people were reportedly trapped.
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Two videos from a fire on April 13 in Utica, New York.
Seven residents were displaced in Friday night’s fire on Lincoln Avenue, which remains under investigation, fire officials said Saturday.
Firefighters arrived at 1243 Lincoln Ave. shortly after 7 p.m. Friday to find that not only that house was burning, but that flames had spread to 1245 Lincoln Ave.
Preliminary reports indicate the fire originated on the front, first-floor room of 1243 Lincoln Ave., officials said. It quickly extended through the first floor, second floor and into the attic, eventually causing the roof to collapse.
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Helmet-cam: House fire in Indiana County, Pennsylvania.
Video posted on May 4 by the Homer City VFD assisting Coral-Graceton VFD on a house fire. Both departments are in Indiana County, Pennsylvania. No further information.
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Read Miami-Dade investigative report into Trayvon Martin case Facebook rant. Despite apology Captain Brian Beckmann demoted two ranks to firefighter. Read statements from union & mayor.
The Miami-Dade Fire Department has decided on a two-rank demotion for Brian Beckmann from fire captain to firefighter effective immediately, after a two-hour administrative meeting on Monday.
A 33-page document detailing the allegations against former captain Beckmann and the meeting claims he violated county and department policy with posts he made on his personal Facebook page having to do with the Trayvon Martin case.
In addition to his demotion, Beckmann will have to go through diversity training and have a psychological evaluation. Miami Beach Mayor Carlos Giminez supported the decision in a statement saying: “… Public servants have a responsibility to uphold the highest levels of integrity and decency, especially when you consider our multicultural, multiethnic community. There’s no such thing as being off-the clock; we are public servants 24/7 and must conduct ourselves with the utmost professionalism at all time.”
Diana Moskovitz, Miami Herald:
Capt. Brian Beckmann’s post lambasted the prosecutor, Angela Corey, who charged George Zimmerman with second-degree murder in Martin’s death.
In the post, Beckmann suggested “urban youth” are the products of “failed, sh–bag, ignorant, pathetic, welfare dependent excuses for parents.”
He also brought his fellow firefighters into the post, saying: “I and my co-workers could rewrite the book on whether our urban youths are victims of racist profiling or products of their failed, sh–bag, ignorant, pathetic, welfare dependent excuses for parents, but like Mrs. Corey, we speak only the truth.”
It ended with, “They’re just misunderstood little church-going angels and the ghetto hoodie look doesn’t have anything to do with why people wonder if they’re about to get jacked by a thug.”
In addition to the loss of rank, the 17-year-fire department veteran’s paycheck will take a major hit because a firefighter’s salary is dramatically less than a fire captain. The amount is still unclear but CBS4 found Beckman made $125,616 as a Captain during a 2007 investigation done on firefighter salaries.
Before returning to work Beckmann will have to undergo a psychological examination by a county doctor and be required to take diversity training courses.
Beckmann, with the help of the firefighter union, is expected to appeal the demotion.
“Today the Fire Chief demoted Brian Beckmann by two supervisory ranks back to the rank of Firefighter. As union President, I believe this discipline is excessive,” said Rowan Taylor in a statement. “We will immediately file an appeal to an independent arbitrator. We anticipate that the case will be heard within the next few months. The decision of the independent arbitrator will be final and binding.”
Do you want to sell a rig? Click HERE to find out how with SellFireTrucks.com.UPDATED: Miami-Dade Captain Brian Beckmann demoted to firefighter. Psychological eval ordered over Facebook rant on Trayvon Martin case. Mayor says ‘we are public servants 24/7′.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue picture of Brian Beckmann.
Click here to follow STATter911.com on Facebook (hit “like”) Previous coverage of this story here and here Read entire Miami-Dade investigative reportUPDATED from WPLG-TV (Click here to watch story):
Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez released a statement Monday saying that he supports the decision to demote Beckmann.
“The comments made by Captain Beckmann were reprehensible and will not be tolerated. We can’t have our employees, especially a supervisor, making such disparaging comments about any member of our community, much less one of our own employees,” Gimenez said.
The mayor said he has directed staff members to revise the policies connected to the issue.
“There’s no such thing as being off-the-clock; we are public servants 24/7 and must conduct ourselves with the utmost professionalism at all times,” Gimenez said.
A Miami-Dade fire captain, under fire for his controversial Facebook comments in the Trayvon Martin case has been demoted.
Captain Brian Beckmann fell from the top of the command in his firehouse to the lowest rank of firefighter, CBS4 News has learned.
In a decision expected to be announced later Monday, the Miami-Dade Fire Department is expected to make a statement that it no longer feels comfortable with Beckmann in a supervisor position.
In addition to the demotion, Beckmann has been ordered to undergo a psychological evaluation and diversity training. He is on paid medical leave.
Beckmann told Local 10′s Roger Lohse that the mayor wanted to fire him, but the chief and the union stood up for him.
Do you want to sell a rig? Click HERE to find out how with SellFireTrucks.com.Quick Takes: May 14, 2012.
Busy in Indiana: Ed Malik has been posting quite a bit from his corner of Indiana. The video above is from a house fire a week ago in South Haven. We also posted one from Gary, Indiana where firefighters returned to the building twice within an hour over the weekend. The second time the joint was rockin’. Click her for that.
Click here to follow STATter911.com on Facebook (hit “like”)Fire in the Bronx: Good early video from a third-alarm at 2070 Grand Concourse on Saturday evening.
Fire in Brooklyn: Vito Maggiolo alerted us to some good pre-arrival video of a fire on April 29 at a Con-Ed substation.
My favorite post from recent weeks: Check out this film from 1953 of firehouse life in Austin and some of the first black firefighters hired in the state of Texas.
Five alarms, four views: There are lots of videos posted on last weeks fire that burned townhomes under construction and threatened occupied buildings in Santa Clara, CA. We pulled out four to give you views from four sides of the fire.
Reputation issue 1 - Criminal charges for new recruit initiation: A very interesting story of three 20-something firefighters arrested after what appears to be a hazing attempt of a 16-year-old cadet in Hyde Park, Vermont. Read more.
Reputation issue 2 - Much more serious criminal charges for new recruit initiation (truly disgusting): The Paris Fire Brigade has at least a dozen firefighters charged after the initiation of a new recruit. Coming back from a gymnastics competition on a bus with 30 firefighters, police say the recruit was stripped, slapped and bitten. But the recruit protested and apparently the firefighters couldn’t allow that. So, according to police, several firefighters pinned the recruit while one raped him. Of course, you want to make sure the guy never forgets this, so someone shot video on their cell phone. Oh yes, news reports indicate a fire officer was there and failed to intervene. So sad. Here’s the story.
Reputation issue 3 - More details on the councilman versus the firefighters in Hillsdale, New Jersey: In case you missed our follow-up posting, as we figured there was more to the story between Hillsdale VFD and the councilman/fire commissioner who resigned after making comments about firefighters drinking. Check here for the departments policy on use of the firehouse bar and the details of the allegations.
Reputation issue 4 - Union VP in Hialeah, Florida speaks out on TV & STATter911.com about his Facebook page: Last week we posted the story about the complaints over, and investigation of, the personal Facebook postings of Eric Johnson. Not only has Firefighter Johnson gone on TV to defend his right to do his opinion off the clock, he has written a comment to STATter911.com saying he expects that the investigation will find that he has served the citizens of Hialeah well. Click here and scroll down.
Watch out for this, it could be coming to a city near you: We have pointed out on numerous occasions the trend across the country of city leaders suddenly claiming overtime abuse, even when there really is none, just because firefighters in many jurisdictions are legally making lots of extra money to provide minimum staffing. While there have been documented cases of abuse, often it has been because city leaders find it cheaper than hiring another firefighter. In Cleveland there has been some variation of this and a real close look and changing of policy on shift trading. But the latest newspaper story takes things a step further. It focuses on the part time jobs held by firefighters in the city and looks at how the rules are being followed. I have seen a definite pattern of these stories spawning similar ones in other jurisdictions. As I suggested long ago with the OT issue, it is probably a good idea to make sure your house is in order on secondary employment before the politicians and reporters come knocking. Here’s the Cleveland story.
New fire truck doesn’t fit in the old firehouse: We have seen this story before and it has happened again. Check out the details of a problem at an Alabama firehouse courtesy of Glenn Usdin’s FireTruckBlog.com.
Saying goodbye: Thanks to Mike Villanova for making sure we had video from Friday’s funeral for 12-year-old Kyle McGetrick of Barnegat, New Jersey. Kyle’s story touched firefighters all over the world. Click out.
The Oak Ridge boys’ video: A house fire in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.
Geezer on cougars & kittens: My friend the Firegeezer may have a tiger by the tail with this story from Fort Worth, Texas. Or at least some other cats. Bill is trying to get to the bottom of a vehicle that has the trappings of an ambulance, is registered to a chiropractor, has the name DFW Cougar & Kitten Rescue on the outside and a dance pole on the inside. Check it out.
Intentional radio interference may have delayed mutual aid: In Lebanon, Maine officials say they have been dealing with what appears to be intentional jamming of radio traffic. On Saturday it appears to have delayed notification of mutual aid for a fire. Click here.
Another look at the Deutsche Bank fire: In August it will be five years since FDNY’s Robert Beddia and Joseph Graffagnino died. Martin J. Steadman in Eve’s Magazine is the latest to look at the twists and turns of this investigation and trial and makes his case on who is really to blame for this tragedy. Read the story.
New chief in Charleston: We alerted you Friday afternoon that Eugene, Oregon Deputy Chief Karen Brack is the new chief of the Charleston Fire Department. Grant Mishoe’s SCONFIRE.com has more.
Getting the bird from THE Fire Critic: That happens to me quite frequently. But this is an actual bird and an interesting rescue by LAFD caught on video. Click here.
Eight-year-old Batman moves from crime fighting to firefighting: It isn’t Bruce Wayne after all. Luke Purcell is really Batman. The boy was doing what he does most days after school, patrolling his Layton, Utah neighborhood in his Batman costume and his version of the Batmobile (his bike) when he saw smoke coming from the roof of a house. He’s credited with saving the day. Here’s the story.
Settlement in Baltimore fatal fire truck collision: This was the one where three civilians died on Park Heights Avenue after their vehicle was hit by Truck 27. Curt Varone at FireLawBlog.com has the details.
Do you want to sell a rig? Click HERE to find out how with SellFireTrucks.com.Four firefighters accused of gang rape in what has been called a ‘common’ initiation ritual. Eight other Paris Fire Brigade members also face charges.
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AP:
A judicial official says four firefighters in the French capital have been preliminarily charged with gang raping a colleague. Eight other firefighters received preliminary charges of aggravated violence.
The incident purportedly happened on a bus ride back from an athletic competition on May 6. A second firefighter has also alleged he was attacked.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity citing fire department policy, said Saturday that one of those charged remains in custody.
The official says the accused have claimed they were carrying out an initiation ritual common with new recruits and deny there was any sexual aggression.
Nicolas Cellupica, a lawyer for the two plaintiffs, has called for other firefighters who have suffered similar rituals to come forward.
BBC:
As part of the alleged hazing incident, the young man was stripped and bitten, according to Le Parisien newspaper.
When he protested, several other young firemen pinned him down while one man sexually assaulted him. According to the claims, an officer was present but did not intervene.
Commentators say the affair threatens to damage the reputation of the Paris brigade, which has an 8,500-strong staff of men and women. Firefighting is one of France’s best-regarded professions and the Paris brigade is highly thought of.
Do you want to sell a rig? Click HERE to find out how with SellFireTrucks.com.Raw video: Gary Fire Department visits same building twice within an hour.
Ed Malik with some daytime footage from Gary, Indiana, visiting the 3800 block of Massachusetts Avenue twice within an hour yesterday.
Here’s some of Ed’s description:
At around 11:30 am crews were dispatched to a reported fire in the 3800 block of Massachusetts. Crews found a working fire in the rear of a vacant house and brought the fire under control quickly with tank water. About 30 minutes later a rekindle was called in and a single engine was dispatched. Seconds later a full still was dispatched for a working fire and multiple crews reported heavy smoke showing from miles away.
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FDNY raw video: Bronx three-alarm apartment fire.
This is early video from MrPaulaponte on YouTube from a three-alarm fire Saturday around 6:45 PM at 2070 Grand Concourse in the Bronx. Fire was on the 5th floor in C wing of an E shaped building with extension to the 6th floor.
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A fascinating film: A day in the life of an Austin, Texas firefighter in 1953.
Let’s go back 59 years courtesy of the Austin Fire Museum. This film shows the men from old Fire Station 5 in East Austin. Besides giving us a view of station life in 1953, it also shows some of the first African American firefighters hired in Texas (see below). Stay beyond the closing credits of the film because there are a couple of outtakes.
Description of the film:
This film was created by Captain Victor Tiemann of Engine Company 5 at Old Fire Station 5 at 1005 Lydia St. in East Austin. In 1952 the City of Austin hired the first paid African American firefighters in Texas. They were initially stationed at Old Fire Station 5. Captain Tiemann had the crew demonstrate for the camera various activities in the day in the life of an Austin fire company in 1953. At the time of the filming the Austin Fire Department had a two platoon shift schedule and Captain Tiemann was in charge of the A-Shift. The driver was William (Bill) Walsh, and the firefighters of the crew were Willie Ray Davis, Marvin Douglas, and James Ritchardson.
From the Austin Fire Museum website:
1952
The Austin Fire Department employed three black firefighters, the first blacks to be hired under Civil Service law in the state of Texas. The three were Willie Ray Davis, who retired as a Captain; Nathaniel H. Kindred, who died of a heart attack in 1977 while at a fire scene; and Roy D. Greene, who resigned.
Do you want to sell a rig? Click HERE to find out how with SellFireTrucks.com.Pre-arrival video: Five-alarm fire in Santa Clara, CA. Townhomes under construction threaten occupied buildings. Video from four sides.
On this page is raw video from four different angles of a multi-alarm fire Wednesday night at a townhouse complex under construction in Santa Clara, California that threatened occupied buildings.
From what I can tell the video above was taken on the A side of the burning buildings by a frightened neighbor before the arrival of firefighters. The second video appears to have been shot shortly after the arrival of the first engine company and shows the exposures on the B side. Video three is later in the operation and shows the view from the D side exposures. The final video is from outside the complex showing the C side and the ladder pipe operations.
Authorities on Thursday continued to investigate a raging five-alarm fire in Santa Clara that destroyed unfinished townhouses as residents chased out by the blaze were gradually allowed to return to their homes.
Randy Titus, a battalion chief for the Santa Clara Fire Department, said the fire destroyed two structures each with four units that were under construction. He estimated the fire caused $2.4 million in damage, not including damage to surrounding townhomes that were occupied.
No one was hurt in the blaze and 50 firefighters who responded were able to keep the flames from reaching nearby homes that were occupied, Chief Bill Kelly said.
But two three-story townhomes that were in the framing stages were a total loss.
“They had 100-foot flames on them,” Kelly said. “So, pretty good fire.”
The fire was first reported at 10:05 p.m. in the 1900 block of Hillebrant Place, Battalion Chief Mason Weirshauser said.
First responders found heavy fire, and firefighters immediately started a defensive operation to prevent the fire from spreading, Weirshauser said.
A total of four alarms arrived on the scene, and a fifth alarm was called to cover the rest of the city. The San Jose and the Santa Clara County fire departments provided mutual aid.
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