GILROY
– An off-duty San Jose firefighter who lives in Gilroy helped
his back-door neighbors escape their burning house Saturday
night.
GILROY – An off-duty San Jose firefighter who lives in Gilroy helped his back-door neighbors escape their burning house Saturday night.
Mike Kahn said he was at home with his wife and son when he heard the neighbors’ cries.
“We heard them screaming, and I jumped over the back fence and made sure everybody was evacuated and the dogs got out,” Kahn said.
“Flames were already coming out the bedroom window, so it was already engulfed.”
Kahn also helped his neighbors turn off their electricity and gas and get their car away from the house. They tried to douse the fire with a garden hose but quickly realized their efforts were futile.
Gilroy firefighters were called to the blaze at 8:01 p.m. at 940 Perrelli St., east of Wren Avenue near El Roble Park.
Gilroy Fire Department Capt. Paul Butler said the fire caused about $100,000 in damage: extensive flame damage to the bedroom where it started, and smoke and heat damage throughout the single-family home.
Kahn said he still doesn’t know the names of the family he helped. The GFD also could not provide the family’s name as of press time.
The victim family owned the house and had fire insurance, according to interim Division Chief Ed Bozzo. They are now staying with relatives.
The GFD investigated the fire but was not completely sure of what caused it as of press time, Bozzo said. He did say that the fire was accidental rather than an act of arson.
