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3-Alarm Fire Rips Through San Jose Nursery

SAN JOSE (CBS SF) -- Firefighters battled a three-alarm fire in a commercial nursery in San Jose late Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning, a San Jose fire captain said.

Firefighters arrived at Summer Winds Nursery at 11:45 p.m. due to reports of a fire and have remained on scene throughout the early morning, fire Capt. Mike Van Elgort said.

The three-alarm fire near the intersection of Almaden Expressway and Branham Road was extinguished shortly before 3 a.m.

Due to significant amounts of pesticides, insecticides and fertilizers for sale at the nursery, firefighters allowed the flames to burn off so that none of the hazardous materials run into the Gaudalupe River, located nearby, Van Elgort said.

A hazardous materials team was called to the scene to assist firefighters in the fully involved fire.

SJNurseryFireCraigAllynRose
San Jose Firefighters on the scene of a 3-alarm nursery fire. (Courtesy: Craig Allyn Rose, SJFD)
SJ-Nursery-SJFD-1
A 3-alarm fire ripped through a San Jose nursery overnight. (Courtesy: Craig Allyn Rose, SJFD)
A 3-alarm fire ripped through a San Jose nursery overnight.
(Courtesy: Craig Allyn Rose, SJFD)
A 3-alarm fire ripped through a San Jose nursery overnight.
(Courtesy: Craig Allyn Rose, SJFD)
A 3-alarm fire ripped through a San Jose nursery overnight.
(Courtesy: Craig Allyn Rose, SJFD)
A 3-alarm fire ripped through a San Jose nursery overnight.
(Courtesy: Craig Allyn Rose, SJFD)

Firefighters were able to control the perimeter and allow the chemicals to burn off on their own.

No other structures were involved in the incident, firefighters said.

The building had been heavily damaged and the cause of the fire remained under investigation, Van Elgort said.

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco and Bay City News Service. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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