Watch CBS News

Garage Fire Damages 2 San Jose Townhouses

SAN JOSE (CBS SF) -- A San Jose garage fire with ammunition going off inside spread to two adjacent townhouses Tuesday night, leaving both homes unlivable, a fire captain said.

A garage fire in the 5200 block of Ostrich Court was reported at 7:25 p.m. and as firefighters were arriving they received reports that there was possibly ammunition inside the garage, fire Capt. Reggie Williams said.

When they did arrive, they found ammunition going off inside the garage and that the fire had already spread to the adjacent townhouses on either side, Williams said.

A woman inside one of the townhouses had heard her smoke alarm go off and safely got out of the house, Williams said. He said that the smoke detector may have saved the woman's life on a day that San Jose had seen three fatalities from fire in the last 24 hours—including a 7-year-old girl.

Firefighters had the fire knocked down by 8:05 p.m. and under control at 8:29 p.m. There were not any major complications from the ammunition and no injuries were reported, Williams said.

The two townhouses sustained major damage and are now unlivable, displacing five residents. The Red Cross assisted two of those residents Tuesday night.

(Copyright 2013 by CBS San Francisco and Bay City News Service. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.