Fire In East San Jose Hills Destroys 2 Homes, Ignites Brush
SAN JOSE (CBS SF) -- Two homes in the east San Jose foothills were completely destroyed in a fire Thursday afternoon, according to fire officials.
The 2-alarm fire was reported around 4:20 p.m. along the 13000 block Clayton Road just south of Mount Hamilton Road, San Jose Fire Dept. Captain Cleo Doss said.
The fire was contained shortly after 5:00 p.m. after two homes were completely burned to the ground along with some surrounding brush, Doss said.
Firefighters credited a lack of wind, and neighbors who kept their grass around their properties low, for keeping the fire from spreading.
According to Doss, fire crews didn't initially realize there was a second home behind the first and had to battle in conditions where electrical lines were down and firefighters had a hard time getting to water.
A third home threatened by the blaze did not sustain any damage, Cal Fire Battalion Chief Brandon Leitzke said.
One woman who lives in the area said a lot of transients had been going in and out of one of the homes that burned.
The fire created a huge plume of black smoke that was seen across a wide area of east San Jose.
The San Jose Fire Department said they have not been able to contact the property owners.
No one was found inside both homes during the fire, Leitzke said.
Two adults were displaced by the blaze, according to Leitzke.
No injuries were reported.
A cause has not been determined. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
