Fire investigators are trying to figure out what started an early morning fire that destroyed several cars and forced South Bay residents out into the street.
Residents of 16 apartment units had to evacuate at about 4 a.m. from an apartment complex on the 100 block of Union Avenue while crews put out the fire and dealt with hazardous materials, like gas and oil.
Santa Clara County firefighters extinguished the fire, but the battalion chief told NBC Bay Area that dealing with the hazardous materials situation was critical in this case because the Los Gatos Creek was right across Highway 17.
The department is a little shorthanded. On Monday, the Santa Clara County Fire Department sent a wildland strike team to help fight the King fire in El Dorado County. That’s six engines, with personnel, along with their staff on a state office of emergency services rig.
The battalion chief says Santa Clara County is still protected, and that the department is happy to help with wildland fires to the north, because “we never know when we’ll need it here at home.”
