Frank Delagarza planned to wake up early Tuesday morning to play
golf, not to watch his garage and about half his house burn to the
ground.
Morgan Hill
Frank Delagarza planned to wake up early Tuesday morning to play golf, not to watch his garage and about half his house burn to the ground.
But that’s what he ended up doing, as Santa Clara County firefighters responded to a fire call at 4:47 a.m. at the home at 18445 Shadowbrook Way in northwest Morgan Hill. Battalion Chief Ron Vega said when the first crews responded, flames were “pouring out” of the garage. “That was more than likely the area of origin,” Vega said Tuesday morning before an in-depth investigation and the exact cause of the fire were determined.
Shortly after the first crew arrived, Vega said the response was upgraded to a second alarm, which brought another 19 personnel to the scene. Within an hour they were able to gain control of the fire and check it back so the flames were no longer spreading.
“The crews made a great stop,” said Vega.
But the damage was extensive. Delagarza and his wife, Rita, can no longer live in the home. The ceiling, roof and outer walls of the garage are now nothing but ash. Interior walls and rafters once shared with the garage are black and exposed. Everything inside the garage — exercise and sports equipment, tools, a furnace — is destroyed. All that exists of a 1984 Corvette is its gas tank, part of its frame and a mostly melted wheel well. The couple’s Mazda CX-7 and Ford pickup truck, both parked outside in front of the garage, were completely burned.
Even though only the north side of the house was in direct contact with flames and the exterior of the southern half is unburned, Delagarza said the whole interior is covered with soot and ash. He said the kitchen was destroyed, as was the family room which contained a plasma-screen television. The home’s office was also destroyed, and a computer in that room was lost to the blaze.
The couple’s Christmas tree and several small presents underneath it were incinerated.
A vinyl storage shed next to the garage had turned into a puddle of melted plastic surrounding the shed’s singed contents.
Delagarza, who has lived at the house for about 30 years, didn’t appear too upset about five hours after the blaze rendered his home unlivable Tuesday. He smiled while talking to his neighbors and firefighters who were still on the scene cleaning up debris and investigating the fire’s cause.
“I’m glad to be alive for Christmas,” said Delagarza, 59, adding he was still “in shock.”
He said he was asleep when the fire started. His wife woke up at about
5 a.m. and told him the power was out. While the couple were trying to find a flashlight, they began to smell smoke. Frank Delagarza opened the bedroom window. When he opened the door leading into the hall, it struck him that the house was on fire, and they rushed outside.
“I didn’t even have time to put my shoes on,” said Delagarza. When they got outside, the Delagarzas found their neighbor was already out watching the fire, and had already called 911.
“We came out, and we could see the garage in flames, and the car was already on fire,” said Delagarza, adding that the pickup truck burst into flames while they were waiting for the fire department to arrive.
Delagarza laughed when asked if he had planned on spending Christmas at his house. He said he and his wife had plans to visit their daughter in San Jose, but prior to the fire were not expecting to spend the night there. Now it looks like they may spend a few nights there, Delagarza said.
The fire also put a crimp in Delagarza’s plan to play golf Tuesday morning. He said he had set his alarm to wake up at 6 a.m., about an hour earlier than usual. “But for some reason my wife woke up at 5,” he said.
Vega said the initial estimate of the loss is about $300,000 in property damage, “and that’s conservative.” The Delagarzas were waiting on their insurance adjuster to make a more comprehensive estimate Tuesday.
Vega added that the fire had been burning for “a while” before the first emergency crew arrived.
While smoke and extreme heat spread throughout the home causing damages, the southern half of the home’s exterior wasn’t burned.
Firefighters broke out the windows all around the house to keep the fire from getting too hot, and to keep the house from becoming an “ignitable hazard,” Vega said.
Delagarza said eventually, he and his wife will rebuild on the same lot.
“We have an acre out back, and there was no damage to the yard,” he said. “Our grandkids love it here, and I’m sure we’ll rebuild here.”
The fire at the Delagarzas’ home was at least the third house fire that resulted in a total loss in Morgan Hill this year. A fire on July 31 destroyed a multi-unit apartment complex on Sorrel Way. On August 30, a home on Oak Leaf Court burned down due to a fire that was caused by ashes from a barbecue grill. Fire officials were unable to find the cause of the Sorrel Way fire before press time.
