A five-unit townhome in north Morgan Hill was destroyed by a
fire Monday, leaving up to 14 people without a place to live, and
causing more than $2 million in damages. The cause of the fire was
unknown at press time.
A five-unit townhome in north Morgan Hill was destroyed by a fire Monday, leaving up to 14 people without a place to live, and causing more than $2 million in damages. The cause of the fire was unknown as of 5:30 p.m.
Police, firefighters and other emergency personnel from local agencies swarmed the scene within minutes after the fire was reported, about 1:15 p.m. today, at 149 Del Monte Lane.
At least nine fire engines plus a ladder truck, close to 50 firefighters and police officers, and the American Red Cross, responded to the blaze. The streets surrounding the block where the fire occurred were closed all afternoon while the fire continued to smolder and the damage was assessed.
Within minutes after the first crews responded to the scene, the building’s roof caved in and the fire continued to grow until several more engines arrived. A rehab tent was quickly set up next to the sidewalk on Del Monte Avenue to provide drinks, shade and rest for firefighters.
The fire was mostly extinguished and the smoke cleared within two hours, revealing the charred, roofless frame of the building’s top floor.
The two-story residence was one of about ten similar buildings spanning a city block and enclosing a grassy courtyard and a pool at the Del Monte Townhomes complex. Crowds of neighbors surrounded the complex, consoling each other and watching as firefighters fought the blaze and police gathered statements.
One of the units destroyed was owned by Nathan and Nicole Padilla, who have lived there for more than a year and a half.
“I hope we still have our wedding pictures,” said Nathan Padilla, 32, who is also the president of Del Monte Townhomes’ Home Owners’ Association.
By the time the smoke had cleared and the damage was visible, however, it was clear they had lost everything.
Another resident who had lived in the smoldering townhome said his neighbor saved his wife’s life. Sergey Anikeev was working in San Jose when the fire started, but his wife was at home in their ground-floor unit. He said she told him that she heard a “quiet explosion” upstairs, then she saw smoke.
“She was scared but she didn’t imagine something this terrible was happening,” said Anikeev. “Somebody (a neighbor) opened the door and forced her to come out.”
Jason Jennings, who lived in the other downstairs unit in the destroyed building, said his garage was dry, but he doesn’t expect to be able to continue living there due to the damages.
The first crew responding to the fire was from the SCCFD and commanded by Capt. Debbie Stocksick, who immediately called in for a third alarm. When her crew arrived, Stocksick said smoke and flames were coming from the roof, indicating the fire may have started on the top floor. She said she began attacking the fire aggressively, and firefighters were able to save the building from completely burning as two units on the ground floor escaped the flames.
But the fire continued spreading with the arrival of the next crews, and within minutes the roof collapsed, Stocksick said. It was then that firefighters shifted into “defensive” mode, attacking the fire only from the outside and employing an SCCFD ladder truck.
No one was injured in the fire, and firefighters saved a dog and a cat from one of the burning residences, according to Stocksick, who noted the Morgan Hill Police Department quickly made sure the building was empty of residents when they arrived.
The initial estimate of the damage is about $2.5 million, according to Frank Blenn of Associate Management Solutions, Inc., the company which manages Del Monte Townhomes. He said there are 50 units in the complex.
“It’s sad when this happens in these types of units because it affects so many people,” Blenn said.
Cheryl Humbard, a resident in one of the untouched townhomes next door to the blaze, described the immediate community response to the fire.
“We were beating down doors, we were calling everybody,” Humbard said.
Another neighbor, Mike McRoberts, described the fire as “disastrous.” He said as soon as he heard sirens he looked out his window and saw smoke billowing into the sky a few feet away. After he made sure his wife and kids were outside, he started knocking on doors.
Some residents who lost their homes, like the Padillas, have options for temporary residence with relatives or friends nearby. Others, like the Anikeevs, have nowhere to go except a hotel. The Santa Clara Valley chapter of the American Red Cross was on hand to assist those in need of a place to stay while they wait to process an insurance claim.
Mo Ghandehari, South County coordinator for the local Red Cross chapter, was at the scene contacting affected residents. The agency typically works with people who have been displaced by such emergencies, he said. The Red Cross will provide temporary assistance, including hotel rooms for those who have been displaced, and help with clothing, prescription drugs and other lost necessities.
A temporary assistance site was established by the Red Cross at Crossroads Community Church, which is adjacent to Del Monte Townhomes at the corner of Wright and Del Monte avenues.
