The Willow Glen Resident

Photograph by Skye Dunlap

Hot Spot: Johnny Hyatt (foreground) and Jack Chindamat help clean up the mess in the aftermath of an Aug. 1 fire that gutted a second-floor bedroom in the Beireis family home on Jansen Avenue. Workers removed everything from the house that had sustained smoke or water damage.

Willow Glen man loses autographed Stephen King books in a house fire

Family's pet cat turns into 'Firestarter' in a real-life family drama

By Christine Frey

A black and white cat-shaped flag hangs above the front door of the Beireis' Willow Glen home, untouched by the blaze that raged through the building's second floor Aug. 1. It's an ironic reminder of the fire's instigator--the family cat.

According to homeowner Kookie Beireis, 4-year-old Sassy knocked over a lighted lamp in the second-floor bedroom where her adult son lives, causing it to ignite nearby bedding. The lamp and blankets were set up on the floor because K.C. Beireis' waterbed had sprung a leak.

The fire at 926 Jansen Ave. was reported to the San Jose Fire Department at 11:04 p.m. About 45 minutes to an hour earlier, 30-year-old K.C. was watching television on the first floor when he heard a noise from above and saw Sassy run down the stairs. He said he didn't think anything of it until he heard a second set of noises at about 11 o'clock.

K.C., who was home alone, then went upstairs to investigate and saw smoke billowing from the second-floor landing. On hands and knees he crawled to his bedroom, the first room along the hallway, and saw the fire burning. Thinking he could extinguish it, K.C. ran downstairs and returned to his room with buckets of water. When his attempt failed, he ran outside and screamed for neighbors to call the fire department. K.C. said he tried to call 911 from his home, but the phone did not work.

After returning inside the house to save the family's older cat, 21-year-old Squeaks, K.C. fought the fire from the front yard with a garden hose until the fire department arrived. According to the San Jose Fire Department, 12 trucks responded to the two-alarm fire. The blaze was contained at 11:57 p.m.

The fire scorched the second-floor hallway, a bathroom and K.C.'s bedroom. Two other bedrooms were damaged but not as extensively as K.C.'s--nearly everything in his room was destroyed. "We lost beds, clothes. He lost his life," Kookie said a few days after the fire.

An avid reader, K.C. had an extensive book collection that included autographed limited editions of Stephen King novels, some of which cost $250 to $500. These books, which were scattered throughout his bedroom, burned. "It was the perfect place to start a fire, I'll tell you that. [There was] a lot of fuel in here," he said, standing in the doorway of his charred bedroom.

K.C. is also an active hockey player and coach. Most of his hockey memorabilia was lost in the fire, including a poster signed by the members of the 1993-94 San Jose Sharks, his medals and trophies and an essay one of his players wrote about him for a school project. Besides the clothes he was wearing the night of the fire, his hockey gear and golf clubs are his only remaining possessions. "If nothing else, at least I still have my livelihood," he said smiling wanly.

With the exception of K.C., the Beireis' were in good spirits. Firefighters were able to stop the blaze from consuming the entire house and even saved much of Kookie's antique furniture. "I cannot say enough about what that fire department did," said Kookie, who's lived in her home for 32 years.

The Beireis family can't move back into their home for at least six months, but they're not complaining. "Nobody's hurt. The rest of it's a piece of cake," said Kookie's husband, Tom. Last week, the family camped in their back yard while looking for a place to rent.

Their two cats are staying with neighbors. During the blaze, Sassy hid in a downstairs back bedroom; Kookie found her hours after the fire had been extinguished. "She's not a happy camper about [her new living conditions], but she'll survive," Kookie said as Sassy peered out from the neighbors' window.

And as difficult as it may be for K.C., he is trying to move on as well. Last week he said he planned to replace his melted car keys, drivers license and credit cards. However, his other valuables are not as easily regained. "Lots of memories--I'll just have them up here in my head," he said.

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