Inferno engulfs housing site
Person of interest detained — partly built condos razed
A huge fire broke out Friday morning at a construction site in Santa Clara, destroying more than 50 partially built condos and injuring one worker, officials said. Santa Clara firefighters responded around 11 a.m. to 1850 El Camino Real and used at least a dozen fire trucks to knock down the flames at Anantara Villas. The fire in the complex, which sits just a couple of hundred feet from an underconstruction ChickfilA, a Holiday Inn Express and numerous homes, was so hot that officials were worried that it could spread. Homes on nearby Clay and Pierce streets were evacuated, but the weather and the quick response prevented further damage. One construction worker was injured, Santa Clara Fire Chief Bill Kelly said, and was transported to a hospital. His condition was not known.
A massive blaze broke out Friday morning at a housing construction site in Santa Clara, destroying more than 50 partially built condos and injuring one worker, officials said.
Santa Clara firefighters responded around 11 a.m. to 1850 El Camino Real, where at least a dozen fire trucks were used to knock down the towering flames at Anantara Villas. Chunks of wood fell throughout the construction site and glass could be heard shattering as black smoke rose into the yellowed sky.
The exceptional heat coming off the complex, which sits just a couple of hundred feet from an underconstruction ChickfilA, a Holiday Inn Express and numerous homes, worried officials that the fire could spread. Homes on adjacent Clay and Pierce streets were evacuated, but the weather conditions and quick response prevented further damage.
One construction worker was injured escaping the blaze, said Santa Clara Fire Chief Bill Kelly. The worker, whose condition is unknown, was transported to a local hospital.
Santa Clara police Capt. Wahid Kazem said a man was temporarily detained near the scene of the blaze as a person of interest and later released without any charges.
“Our investigation is ongoing,” Kazem said.
Earlier in the afternoon, Kazem told The Chronicle that investigators had been working to determine if the person was involved in the fire.
“We cannot definitively say
one way or another as to their involvement,” Kazem said. “If the person is found to be involved, or not found to be involved, we will definitely be sharing that information.”
The fire was contained early Friday afternoon. Fire investigators were on the scene and ready to investigate the cause and origin of the fire after it was contained.
“We got on scene quickly and started to protect the surrounding neighborhoods from the intense radiant heat to make sure those houses didn’t catch fire,” Kelly said, adding that the blaze was difficult to contain because the construction project was in the framing stage.
“The walls are just framed, so there is plenty of air space between all that lumber that is stacked vertically,” he said. “So, once there is a flame, there is plenty of oxygen to breathe and easier to spread.”
Santa Clara Mayor Lisa Gillmor said city officials approved the project last year and it appeared to be months from completion. City officials said in a statement that the project was in the “rough framing stage and approximately 25% complete.”
“We are fortunate today that there is not a lot of wind, so all of that intense heat and smoke is going straight up in the air, and that’s helping the firefighting effort,” Kelly said.
Kelly said he has seen construction fires in Santa Clara occur “occasionally, every few years.”
Legend USA, the project developer of the site, said its onsite staff reported that one worker was injured from a sprained ankle.
“Our first priority is everyone’s safety. We verified with our onsite staff that everyone is safe,” the company said in a statement. “We would like to thank everyone for their prompt action to ensure the safety of our staff, our neighbors, and the local community in Santa Clara.
“We will work with local authorities and related companies to conduct a thorough review of what happened and how to effectively prevent any such instances from happening in the future,” the statement read.
A series of fires have burned down unfinished housing projects in the East Bay over the last couple of years. Officials said some of those fires were caused by arson.
In November, federal authorities arrested a suspect, Dustin Bellinger, who was charged with arson in connection to a fire at the Hollis Oak project in Oakland. He pleaded not guilty.
Earlier this month, Santa Clara firefighters responded to an explosion and fire at a chemical, gas storage and transportation facility. The explosion occurred after a hydrogen tank being fueled started to leak, officials said.
Anyone with information about the fire may contact Detective James Wright at 4086154829. Chronicle staff writer Pete Grieve contributed to this story.