San José F.D. stretched thin by 5-alarm structure fire

One house was completely destroyed and another suffered heavy damage when a fast-moving house fire broke out in South San José.

On Wednesday, July 30, 2014, at 11:22 am, the San José Fire Department responded to reports of a fire at 4328 Hampshire Place involving a two-story residence. Upon arrival firefighters were confronted with a fully involved structure with fire showing on both floors and spreading quickly to a neighboring home at 4316 Hampshire Place.

Despite an aggressive fire attack the fire quickly consumed the original fire building forcing the first-in company officer to request a second-alarm. As the fire progressed the incident commander struck three additional alarms to contend with immediate needs on the fireground and a department drained of resources citywide.

As the fire extended to the second home, firefighters mounted a second offensive attack and were able to limit the damage to only a portion of the structure.

Firefighters from the Santa Clara County Fire Department and the City of Santa Clara Fire Department responded to the scene and to empty San José Fire stations to handle the city’s other calls for service.

While San José is the 10th most populous city in the nation, with just over one million residents, the department continues to struggle with the lowest number of uniformed firefighters of the 30 largest U.S. cities.