No one home when fire erupts, but family dog is removed from the
burning home’s garage; cause is under investigation
A two-alarm fire Tuesday evening displaced a Crawford Drive family from a single-story home they recently purchased. No family members were home at the time, however, the family dog was rescued from the garage by firefighters.
Neighbors gathered on sidewalks and lawns watching as firefighters extinguished the flames and waited to hear news about their neighbors.
“I just kept (thinking), ‘I hope there’s no one in there,'” said neighbor Jennie Gonzalez. “I just kept thinking about the kids.”
Fire officials estimated structural damage upwards of $100,000. The most severe damage occurred in the kitchen and living room with an extension into the attic. There was smoke damage throughout the house.
As of press time the cause was still unknown.
“We’re just probing around trying to see if we can get to the bottom of this,” Chief Clay Bentson said. “It appears to be accidental. We have our suspicions, but we have yet to confirm them.”
Three engines from Gilroy Fire Department as well as two from South Santa Clara Fire District/CDF responded to a call at 5:33pm in the southwest quadrant of the city near Christmas Hill Park. The fire was contained in half-an-hour.
Neighbor Janet Yoshida was driving around the corner with Richard Eckhart when they saw the fire and called 911.
“I saw smoke and flames coming out of the front window,” Yoshida said. “I heard the crash of the front window.”
Firefighters ventilated the rooftop and sprayed the living room to douse the flames.
The Red Cross was been contacted and will look for temporary housing for the family of seven.
