Oct 11, 2008 6:34 pm US/Pacific
Dog, Miniature Pig Rescued From SJ 3-Alarm Fire
SAN JOSE (BCN) ―
San Jose firefighters rescued a miniature pot-bellied pig and two dogs from a three-alarm fire that burned seven houses Saturday afternoon, a fire captain said.
High winds fueled the blaze, which destroyed one house and damaged six others before the flames were brought under control just after 6 p.m., according to San Jose fire Capt. Barry Stallard.
Stallard said he was driving on Interstate Highway 680 near Landess Avenue when he saw flames and smoke, and drove toward the fire on Limewood Drive.
"I saw the fire from the freeway," Stallard said. "That's what drove me over here. I was the first person on scene."
Firefighters received a call just before 2:20 p.m. from a house on Limewood Drive reporting a fire and arrived a minute after Stallard.
A blaze with flames reaching 30 feet into the air was burning the house at 2069 Limewood Drive, where Stallard said the fire started.
The neighboring two houses on either side caught fire and active flames continued to burn in the roof and attic areas about 3:30 p.m., Stallard said.
Embers blown from the flames burned the roofs of four other houses in the neighborhood, but residents were able to extinguish the sparks with garden hoses, according to Stallard.
Two dogs and a pot-bellied pig were rescued from one house and were not injured. No humans were injured, Stallard said.
The house where the fire originated was under construction and is a total loss, while damage to the two other homes is estimated around $100,000 each, according to Stallard.
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