A grass fire broke out on a San Martin ranch Monday, engulfing a
workshop but sparing a massive barn next door.
By Perry Shirley Staff Writer
San Martin – A grass fire broke out on a San Martin ranch Monday, engulfing a workshop but sparing a massive barn next door.
Firefighters said that restoration work on an antique tractor caused a spark that started the fire at Falcon’s Nest Ranch about 3pm.
No one was hurt as about 15 neighbors came out immediately with garden hoses and water buckets to quell the flames that also quickly spread to grass alongside a driveway.
By the time four trucks from the South Santa Clara County Fire District and the County Fire department had arrived, the fire had been contained to the workshop, which took firefighters about 30 minutes knock down.
All that was left was the foundation of the one-story, 50-foot-long workshop, except for old tools – table saws, drum sanders, drill presses – smoldering in the remains. A pile of wood that was destined to fix the family vacation cabin laid charred.
Daniel Vargas, a friend of the Van’t Rood family that owns the ranch, was working on one of the family’s six antique 1930s-era tractors next to the workshop when the fire broke out, said County Fire Capt. Paul Dellanini.
Vargas was machining a part with an electric grinder when sparks flew off and lit nearby grass.
“If you’re going to work on a truck, don’t do it after 10 am,” Dellanini said. “The temperatures are up and humidity in the grass is [low] so a good, hot spark will get it going.”
It didn’t help that the workshop was used for woodworking and contained planks of wood, varnish and sawdust, Dellanini said.
Ranch owner Richard Van’t Rood said he felt fortunate that helped arrived quickly and that the wind was blowing south, away from the barn. More than 50 years old, the 100-foot long wooden barn that was once used to milk cows is set to house a San Martin neighborhood alliance harvest fund-raiser in October, said Richard Van’t Rood’s daughter Margot, 21. Also spared were solar panels on the barn roof, which provides electricity to the family’s home, a cage with a pet rabbit and the tractors.
“I would have been heartbroken if this one burned down,” Van’t Rood said. “All the tools I can replace but that old building I don’t know.”
Perry Shirley is a news intern and currently attends San Francisco State University. Reach him at ps******@**********rs.com.
