By Dana Hull
San Jose Mercury News
Photo/Craig Allyn Rose
A firefighter at the scene of the blaze. |
SAN JOSE — More than 100 firefighters fought a four-alarm blaze Sunday that destroyed four condominiums in The Villages in the Evergreen area of San Jose.
Five firefighters suffered mild injuries, but no residents were injured, although at least one resident escaped with just minutes to spare, fire Capt. Steve Alvarado said. Another four condos had severe smoke and water damage.
Four of the five firefighters remained hospitalized late Sunday, Alvarado said.
The blaze broke out in an upstairs unit in an eightplex in The Villages Golf & Country Club, a senior community of about 4,200 residents. Late Sunday, firefighters were still trying to determine the cause.
The first engine arrived at 5028 Cribari Vale at 11:22 a.m. to find four units "fully involved," with flames pouring out of every window and doorway, Alvarado said. The fire was contained at 2:50 p.m.
Mindful that most of the residents are seniors, firefighters immediately called for a second alarm. A third and fourth alarm were called a short time later, and 25 fire engines and pieces of equipment ultimately were at the scene.
All of the residents escaped the blaze, which quickly escalated in the hot, dry heat.
"The fire was really heavy," Alvarado said. "The heat drove the firefighters out of one of the units. Thankfully, three young men who were visiting a relative went around and banged on doors."
San Diego resident John Fedor, 44, had flown to San Jose for the weekend to help his father, Ken, celebrate his 80th birthday. He rescued his father's wife, Lucille, from a burning apartment.
He and Brian Fedor, his nephew, had stopped by the condo to pick something up after other family members had already gathered at a restaurant for brunch.
"Brian said, 'Fire!,' and we realized that we needed to help Lucille. She has a bad back," Fedor said. "So we just moved. I grabbed one side and he grabbed the other. We ran from the bedroom, and the drapes in the living room were completely on fire."
The Fedor home at 5033 Cribari was one of four condos that were gutted.
"We had just gotten to the house," said John Fedor, who now must help his elderly father find a new place to live.
The Villages has an Emergency Preparedness Committee in place. When the fire broke out Sunday, residents immediately called each other.
"I looked out the window and all I saw was smoke," said Mary Fullerton, 64. "Then I got a call."
Firefighters could not access one condo, but other residents said the owner's car was not in his carport and he was out of town.
Sunday was a busy day for the San Jose Fire Department, which also contained a grass fire near Bern Court at Oakland Road.
In another fire just after 6 p.m., crews responded to a two-story home on Solomon Court in South San Jose. The home was engulfed in flames, so firefighters did not enter the building.
"There was no going inside," Alvarado said.
He said one resident of the home was taken to a hospital because of smoke inhalation.
Copyright 2008 San Jose Mercury News
All Rights Reserved
