Residents in the East Hills of San Jose are on edge following a string of fires investigators are calling suspicious.
Investigators believe nearly a dozen fires were intentionally set in the area, with the most recent fire erupting overnight Monday near a home on Mount Hamilton Road.
Fire officials said a stretch of Mount Hamilton Road has been the scene for most of the 10 recent fires.
Resident Aziz Dyer said he heard firecrackers jsut after 1 a.m. Monday before noticing his neighbor's yard was on fire.
"That's when we grabbed some shovels and ran over there," Dyer said. "By the time we got there it was really big."
A box of used firecrackers roughly 20 yards from the latest fire was also found. That fire burned dangerously close to a large propane tank.
"If I had not caught that fire last night, the lady in the house would have died," Dyer said.
Local
Sources tell NBC Bay Area an arsonist is responsible for many of the 10 recent fires. But fire investigators said they are not ready to formally link them, only saying many of the fires are suspicious and under investigation.
For now, residents said they will do what they can to protect each other until someone is caught.
