An electrical malfunction suspected as cause; Red Cross helping
Crawford Drive family
Gilroy – A two-alarm fire that destroyed the home and most of the belongings of six Crawford Drive residents appears to have been caused by an electrical malfunction in the family’s entertainment center, fire officials said Wednesday.
The blaze caused more than $100,000 in structural damages and left furniture and clothes inside the home severely smoke damaged.
“It happened real fast,” said Hippolito Casas, who owns the home. “Everybody was working and my aunt went to the store and pick up her husband. When she got back 45 minutes later everything was gone.”
Red fliers reading, “Do not enter” were posted on the doors and garage of 7496 Crawford Drive by the Gilroy Fire Department Wednesday morning. Red roses were withered on the bush in the front yard. Gutted roofing material and two children’s bikes lay on burnt patches of the front lawn.
“The Red Cross has helped us, they gave us a hotel for three days and after that our insurance will help. That’s what you pay insurance for,” Casas said.
His aunt, uncle, grandmother and two nieces also live at the home.
“They’re kind of upset because of all the memories, photos and stuff lost,” he said. “It’s good no one was hurt. That’s the best thing.”
Firefighters responded to a call from a passerby who reported seeing smoke coming from the house at 5:33pm Tuesday night. When fire services arrived on scene fire was spewing from the front windows.
Neighbors ran to nearby houses pounding on doors telling occupants to get out.
Jesse Gonzalez heard the banging on his door and came out to see smoke coming from his neighbor’s home.
“A few minutes later you could hear the windows blowing out,” he said. “Nobody was home. That was the only good thing. Right away I thought of the kids. I feel bad they lost everything. It’s like starting over from scratch.”
While the fire is still under investigation, fire officials ruled out arson early on. Preliminary reports indicate the fire started in the living room near the family’s entertainment center where several televisions and DVD players were plugged in.
“The burn patterns all point to that area,” explained Capt. Mark Ordaz. “The house is totaled. The only thing salvageable is the garage.”
The smell of burnt carcinogens and smoke still hung in the air outside the mint green home. Black marks stain the walls where flames licked the side of the house. The most severe damage occurred in the kitchen, living room and portions of the attic.
“Every room was just black – all the clothes,” Ordaz said.
As fire officials investigated Wednesday, he saw the girl who lived in the home clutching her dog that firefighters rescued from the garage earlier. She was standing out front looking at what was left of her house, he said.
“That family has nothing,” Ordaz said. “They lost everything. But they’ve got their lives.”
The dog escaped later Tuesday night from a relative’s house. A woman called the Dispatch Wednesday reporting that she believed she had found the dog from the fire.
Casas was happy to hear that a neighbor had found their pet and was holding on to it for them.
Family members were able to get important documents and photos from a back room that suffered little smoke damage.
“Everything else was gone,” Ordaz said.
Bill Headley, the city’s parks and facilities manager and a longtime Red Cross volunteer was on scene Tuesday evening with three other volunteers, comforting the family and helping them take care of their immediate needs. He has been on several fires helping victims get through the darkest days.
“Even though it’s just a single-family home, for that family it’s a major disaster,” he said. “Their loss of belongings was significant.”
To donate to the Red Cross, call 577-1000.
