Fire crews spent Wednesday assessing damage and investigating
the cause of a Tuesday morning blaze that destroyed more than a
dozen greenhouses and multiple mobile homes on a five-acre property
on Murphy Avenue just south of Morgan Hill.
San Martin – Fire crews spent Wednesday assessing damage and investigating the cause of a Tuesday morning blaze that destroyed more than a dozen greenhouses and multiple mobile homes on a five-acre property on Murphy Avenue just south of Morgan Hill.
An arson investigator is looking into the cause of the fire, CalFire Battalion Chief Derek Witmer said.
The daughter of the property owners told Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office deputies that a former tenant on the property had recently been evicted and that her parents’ home on the property was burglarized last week. She described the fire as suspicious.
Sheriff’s Office Lt. Dale Unger said the area the fire consumed is being treated as a crime scene until the investigation is completed.
Fire officials were not ready to announce a dollar amount for the damages or a cause, CalFire Capt. Jim Rajskup said Wednesday.
Flames erupted about 11:30am on Tuesday, and gusting winds and dry grasses fueled the fire’s spread. More than 100 personnel from at least seven fire agencies were able to contain the blaze after about an hour, and crews began “mopping up” two hours after they responded.
No one was injured during the fire, although one man who lived in the area and had a history of heart problems was transported to the hospital by ambulance.
Several animals were evacuated from a neighboring property, but no other evacuations were necessary.
The wind Tuesday “complicated things,” and that the incident was the first “complex” fire of the season, CalFire Battalion Chief Ken McGeever said.
He said residents need to take the time to create a defensible space around their homes, with much more of fire season to come.
