GILROY
– Nearly 30 firefighters responded to a fire early this morning
at the NAPA Auto Parts store at 30 Third St., and although the
blaze was contained within minutes of the fire department’s
arrival, the damage was done.
GILROY – Nearly 30 firefighters responded to a fire early this morning at the NAPA Auto Parts store at 30 Third St., and although the blaze was contained within minutes of the fire department’s arrival, the damage was done.
“We are real fortunate that we caught it early,” said Gilroy Fire Department Capt. Colin Martin. “But there is still a lot of smoke damage.”
No one was injured in the fire that the GFD believes was sparked around 3 a.m. due to an electrical shortage, but Martin estimated there was $10,000 in smoke damage to the building and $5,000 in lost merchandise.
Two fire engines from the GFD and two engines from the South Santa Clara County Fire District responded to the fire. Firefighters had the blaze controlled within five minutes, Martin said.
“They were very fortunate that they had a proper smoke detector and monitor that tipped us off,” Martin said. “Things could’ve been a lot worse.”
NAPA, like most other commercial stores, uses a smoke detector which is monitored by a phone line through a contracted company who calls 911 in the case of a fire.
“Early notification is the key in any fire,” Martin said.
It is not known if NAPA will be open for business today.
