Illegal Fireworks Cause 3-Alarm Blaze

SAN JOSE, Calif. (KCBS)- In a sure sign that it's the 4th of July holiday weekend, firefighters in San Jose were called to an apartment complex this afternoon, to do battle with a 3-alarm blaze.

San Jose Fire Department Captain Chuck Rangel said no one was hurt and that it was the illegal use of a sparkler labeled as safe that caused this incident.

"A sparkler can burn at temperatures in excess of 1,000 degrees. In this case, it started in a downstairs apartment and quickly spread to that apartment and the adjoining second story apartment," he said

The fire happened around 1 p.m., at a 20-unit complex on South Bascom Avenue.