Smoke was visible from miles away as people drove on 280 and 101 in San Jose just before 2 p.m. Monday. For Vanessa Rogier, there was an immediate sense of urgency as she was trapped in traffic gridlock, realizing that the smoke was coming near the place she’s worked for 20 years: Happy Hollow Park & Zoo.
“I was like come on, get out of the way, I gotta get there!” said Rogier. “You know then that, uh-oh, we have a fire.”
A grass fire ignited around 1:45 p.m. in Kelley Park, growing from one acre to seven. About 45 firefighters from the San Jose Fire Department responded on the ground, calling in air support from Cal Fire quickly after they realized the thick vegetation around Coyote Creek would be too difficult to tackle alone.
Cleo Doss, a San Jose Fire captain, said the fire likely ignited in the grass area close to the new Happy Hollow entrance before spreading to thick brush and vegetation along Coyote Creek. He said crews from the City of San Jose had just cut the grass in the area sometime in the morning. Had they not, Doss said, the fire could have spread more quickly. Ironically, fire investigators are leaving everything on the table when it comes to the cause of the fire, including the grass-cutting.
There was heightened concern because even though the area that burned is considered open space along the creek, there are neighborhoods nearby.
“We have a lot of people living around us,” Rogier said. “So yeah, there’s a lot of concerns for the safety of the neighbors.”
That includes Phung Jong, who said she’s lived in San Jose by the scene of the fire for 14 years. Jong’s house is just a few feet from a patch of dry, high-grass near Coyote Creek. She said city crews used to cut the weeds, but not lately. She added she’s seen homeless people living near the creek. San Jose firefighters say they haven’t ruled out homeless activity as a cause of Monday’s fire.
“This creek has been a fire-prone area for years and years. Every summer we’ll have fires from throughout the creek from different causes,” said Scott Ackemann, another San Jose Fire captain. “Homeless, smokers, cigarettes, you name it – could be accidental.”
Doss added, “It’s a very real threat. Look here, we’re right in the middle of the city of San Jose. We get multiple fires here every single year.”
He said in May alone, there were at least a dozen fires. Monday afternoon’s blaze was the third in three days – a rough start to June. On Saturday there were two brush fires, including one nearby Kelley Park by Story Road and 280 that charred five acres. Arson investigators detained one person in connection to the fire, but NBC Bay Area was unable to reach San Jose Police for an update Monday evening.
The city estimates there are roughly 400 large, vacant lots filled with dry, overgrown weeds across San Jose, owned by the city, county and private individuals. All of them must abide by the same rule in San Jose: no weed should be taller than six inches.
After Code Enforcement makes contact, the property owner has ten days to act before the city has the power to cite and fine them for thousands of dollars each day.
