Monday Afternoon Wildfire in South San Jose Contained in 4 Hours

Quick action by Cal Fire and the San Jose Fire Department Monday contained a small wildfire in South San Jose, with no property damage, no evacuations and no injuries.

Cal Fire was investigating the cause of what they officially named the Silicon Fire, which was first reported at 11:15am June 14 in the area of Silicon Valley Boulevard and Basking Ridge Avenue. The hillside fire site was approximately 12 miles south of downtown San Jose, just east of the point where Highway 85 connects with U.S. 101.

Cal Fire reported the fire had spread quickly to 35 acres before being contained at around 3:30pm.

About the same time and at the same location as the Silicon Fire, PG&E responded to a report that metallic balloons had come into contact with transmission lines, according to a PG&E spokesperson.

Metallic balloons conduct electricity extremely well, which can overload power lines and lead to outages and fires, officials said.

San Jose firefighters reported seeing power lines arcing, fire department spokesperson Erica Ray said Monday, suggesting it could be related to the blaze.

PG&E and Cal Fire Monday did not confirm that transmission lines were the cause of the fire.

The cause was still under investigation late Monday afternoon, according to Cal Fire.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *