3-Alarm San Jose Townhouse Fire Leaves 18 Residents Homeless

SAN JOSE (CBS SF) -- A three-alarm blaze Thursday morning at a townhouse structure in San Jose has left 18 residents seeking alternate housing, a fire captain said.

Crews responded to a report of a fire in the back of a two-story, four-unit townhouse complex in the 100 block of Chynoweth Avenue at about 12:20 a.m., Capt. Reggie Williams said.

When crews arrived, the blaze had spread into three of the units and the attic space, Williams said.

Williams said the 18 residents - 10 adults and eight children - had self-evacuated before crews arrived.

The fire was knocked down shortly after 1 a.m. and was deemed under control at about 1:15 a.m., the captain said.

Williams said that one unit was totally destroyed; two were badly damaged; and the other may be habitable, but it's "doubtful since the power needed to be shut off in the unit."

No one was injured in the fire. All the residents have been displaced, he said.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.