Shortly after 2am on Wednesday morning, Santa Clara County firefighters rushed to reports of a house fire in the 17000 block of Rose Court in Monte Sereno. Firefighters rescued an elderly couple from an upstairs bedroom, but they were later pronounced dead at Valley Medical Center.
Authorities have withheld their identities, pending notification of family members.
Monte Sereno is the smallest incorporated municipality in Santa Clara County, both in size and population, with approximately 3,500 residents living within 1.6 square miles. Nestled next to Los Gatos, with which it shares a police department, it has no fire department: The Santa Clara County Fire Department provides fire and emergency services for the tiny city.
In the fiscal year that ended June 30, the county reported just one fire, one rescue call and 124 medical emergencies in Monte Sereno.
Bill Murphy, assistant chief of operations for the county fire department, said Thursday that fire investigators were unable to locate any smoke detectors at the residence. A fire department spokesperson on Wednesday reported that “a large amount of clutter inside and surrounding the home…made it difficult for firefighters to gain access to the home and to locate the victims.”
The house was filled with smoke and was an active fire when crews arrived, authorities said.
Assistant Fire Chief Jeremy Davis said the cause of the fire has been ruled accidental.
“Smoke detectors were a factor,” he said. “They would have allowed for early notification for the deceased.” Los Gatos Monte-Sereno police detectives helped with the investigation.
“The deceased lived in this property for over 30 years,” Davis added. “There were just all kinds of different household items. I do believe the accumulation of items inside was also a factor to this fire.”
Monte Sereno Mayor Lon Allan said in an interview that the city will be reaching out to residents to remind them they need to have smoke detectors—and they need to make sure they work.
“This was an unnecessary tragedy,” he said. “This is what we want to avoid.”
Drew Penner is editor of The Los Gatan, a newspaper that is part of the Weeklys group.
