Fire Breaks Out At Abandoned San Jose Home Used By Squatters
SAN JOSE (CBS SF) – A suspicious single-alarm fire in an abandoned San Jose building has been brought under control but drivers are still being asked to avoid the area of West San Carlos and Sunol streets, according to fire officials.
The fire was initially reported as being in a warehouse, but when fire crews arrived they described the building as an apparently abandoned single-family home that at one point was used as a commercial space, according to San Jose Fire Department spokesman Capt. Mitch Matlow.
Crews have closed off West San Carlos Street from Sunol Street to the railroad tracks east of Dupont Street, Matlow said.
Fire crews responded to the call at about 1 p.m. and it was originally designated as a two-alarm blaze but the additional units were quickly called off.
The fire was brought under control by 1:57 p.m., Matlow said.
A witness said there were three separate fires set inside the house, a claim firefighters were able to verify once they arrived on scene.
"Yesterday, police kicked a bunch of squatters out of the building," Matlow said.
The fire is being investigated as suspicious. No injuries were reported to either firefighters or civilians.
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