Saratoga News
News
Burned out house on Komina is razed; arson the cause of the fire
By Jason Sweeney
Six months after a two-alarm fire destroyed the house at 20626 Komina Ave., the blackened remains of the structure have been razed. Demolition work at the property was completed on April 6.
The old house had stood on Komina Avenue for a century before going up in flames early one morning last September. Firefighters from the Saratoga Fire Department and the Santa Clara County Fire Department rushed to the scene after neighbors began calling 911 in the pre-dawn hours of Sept. 23. Neighbors reported a large fire rapidly engulfing the wooden house in close proximity to their homes and apartments.
Firefighters fought the flames, halting their spread to the trees and to the tightly packed homes that surrounded the burning house. There were no injuries, and only minor water and scorching damage to a neighboring house.
All that was left of the old house on Komina Avenue was a charred and dilapidated wreck.
For the next six months, the fenced-off, blackened house stood on the corner of Komina Avenue and Oak Street across from Saratoga Elementary School and next to the neighboring homes. Before the house could be torn down, fire investigators had to complete an investigation of the site, and the historical status of the house had to be determined.
"The structure was so damaged by fire it was an attractive nuisance to children," said Brad Lind, Saratoga building inspector. Lind explained the city and neighbors were concerned children and adolescents might be tempted to explore the wreck, which had become a safety hazard and a source of complaints to the city. "It was an accident waiting to happen," Lind said.
The Saratoga Heritage Preservation Commission completed its review of the house's historical status in January, determining that it was not worth renovating or preserving. This allowed for the demolition of the house, city planner Deborah Ungo-McCormick said.
On March 31, the city of Saratoga issued the owner of the house, Bob Baratta-Lorton, a demolition permit. A backhoe and a Bobcat mini-bulldozer arrived soon after. By April 6, the house had been razed and the last pieces of debris had been removed. All that was left of the old house was a hole in the ground.
"Once the fire department had completed its arson investigation of the house, they told me they had no problems with me issuing a permit for demolition," Lind said. "I was happy that we were finally able to proceed with it."
Over the course of the investigation of the site, Saratoga Fire Investigator Jeremy Davis determined the fire that destroyed the house had been intentionally set. An arson detection canine from the Santa Clara Fire Arson Task Force had located an area in the house where flammable liquid was used to start the fire. Tests then confirmed the cause of the fire was arson.
Davis said the investigation of the fire remains ongoing. "All the evidence we need to prosecute an arsonist has been collected from the site," he said. "We're getting more information on a daily basis. We're getting a lot of help from the community. The leads we're receiving are getting us closer to the arsonist."
The house had been boarded up and unoccupied by May of 2004, when a smaller, less destructive fire had occurred there. That first fire was still under investigation at the time of the second fire. Davis said the cause of the first fire was also confirmed to be arson.
Baratta-Lorton has applied for a design review to build a new house on the lot. He plans to build a two-story, 2,706-square-foot house with an attached garage on the property. Ungo-McCormick has been working with Baratta-Lorton during the design process.
The Saratoga Planning Commission will conduct a design review of Baratta-Lorton's plans at its regular meeting on April 26.
If the planning commission approves the design and no one appeals the decision, then construction of a new house on the empty lot can commence.
Baratta-Lorton could not be reached for comment.
