Saratoga News
News
Photograph courtesy Harriet Johnson
A fire in a house under construction on Horseshoe Lane in Saratoga on July 6 went to two alarms. The Saratoga Fire District, with support from Santa Clara County Fire, was able to contain the blaze in just half an hour.
Fire at house under construction doused by city, county firefighters
By Shannon Burkey
A two-alarm blaze engulfed a house under construction in Saratoga on July 6.
The structural fire on Horseshoe Lane was called in to the Saratoga Fire District at 8:35 p.m. by a neighbor who spotted the flames. The neighbor also happened to be the father of the owner of the structure, who was out of town when the fire broke out.
"Firefighters noticed the smoke as soon as they pulled out of the station," fire investigator Jeremy Davis said.
When firefighters arrived on the scene, 80 percent of the second floor was on fire and a second alarm was immediately called for, according to Davis.
The fire began when a rag, soaked in turpentine and linseed oil, spontaneously combusted. Construction workers, who had installed windows that day, left the rag on a tool bench on the second floor of the structure.
"Those chemicals are known to spontaneously combust like that, especially the linseed oil," Davis said.
Embers from the fire also caused a small roof fire on the house next door. Firefighters were able to quickly contain that fire before it spread to the rest of the house and only minor damage was done to the roof.
Because the Saratoga Fire District does not have all the resources necessary to contain a full first-alarm fire, it must rely on the surrounding districts, such as Santa Clara County, when large fires break out.
The Saratoga Fire District has one fire engine and one fire truck. A full first-alarm fire requires two fire engines and one fire truck.
"We usually get one additional engine from Santa Clara County. With this fire, we had their resources come in, and with their response we were able to contain the fire to the second floor of the building. We're pretty lucky to have them working with us," Davis said.
Firefighters were able to contain the blaze in about half an hour, Davis said, and no injuries were reported.
