Willow Glen Resident
News
Photograph by Vicki Thompson
Hot Situation: San Jose firefighters Mike DelBando (left) and James Williams clean up after a garage on Broadway Avenue in the Palm Haven area caught fire.
Oil-soaked rags at property cause fire that damages garage
By Laura Rheinheimer
The hot weather affected more than people's health. it also caused an explosion in the Palm Haven neighborhood.
On July 25 at 3:30 p.m., Allen and Barbara Gilliland's property, 1025 Broadway Ave., was the scene of a first-alarm fire after several oil-drenched rags spontaneously combusted.
"I just heard this big explosion, and then again," said Patty Toth, who lives across the street. "I opened the door and saw flames between the house and the fence."
No one was on the property at the time. The Gillilands were planning to sell the home, and work was being done on the place, which included the use of stains. The stained rags had not been disposed of properly and exploded in the extreme heat, according to San Jose Fire Chief Kevin Conant from Station No. l.
Barbara Gilliland was at home in the Dry Creek area when a neighbor called to inform her about the fire. Gilliland said after the final stain was put on the outside decks, the rags had been used for turpentine and left outside, where the fire must have started.
"I'm sure it was the heat; otherwise, I doubt it would have happened," she said.
Twenty-six firefighters and three engines from six San Jose fire stations, including Stations No. 1, 3, 4, 6, 10 and 30, responded to the call. Conant said this is a typical response for a house blaze. The fire was under control by 4:05 p.m., and Conant credits the neighbors' quick response.
"Had they not gotten the garden hoses on it, the house would have sustained severe damage, " he said.
The fire only burned the outside fence, the inside of the garage and roof before neighbors and firefighters confined the flames.
Toth said when she saw the flames, she immediately called 911 while several Broadway residents, including Rose Birch, Edward Zarate and a nearby construction worker, hooked up hoses to an adjacent property to hose down the flaming garage.
"By the time the time the fire department got here, it was totally doused," Toth said.
Gilliland said she was grateful for her neighbors' quick response and plans to rebuild the garage and sell the home.
Conant said, "We found the cause to be spontaneous combustion."
Spontaneous combustion is more likely to happen on hot days, he noted. On July 25 the heat index was 104 degrees. Due to the extreme heat, one firefighter from Station No. 4 suffered heat exhaustion and was treated at O'Connor Hospital.
Capt. Alberto Olmos, a San Jose Fire Department spokesman, said residents should read the labels on chemicals and oils so they know how to dispose of materials properly, especially vegetable-based oils, which include many cooking oils.
