Carport fire damages 20 vehicles at San Jose condo complex as residents react to 'scary' scene
SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) -- About 20 vehicles were damaged in a fire that tore through a carport at a San Jose condominium complex early Friday morning, and investigators are still working to determine the cause.
Crews responded to the New Horizon condominiums off Almaden Road, where flames spread quickly through a carport and engulfed multiple vehicles. The arson unit is investigating the fire as part of the process of determining its cause and origin, which remains unknown.
Resident Debra Bayerd-Ramsey said she was awakened by several loud explosions.
"There's like 3 or 4 big booms and it just spread really, really fast," Bayerd-Ramsey said.
By daylight, the extent of the damage was visible. Bayerd-Ramsey's vehicle was left charred, with blown-out windows, and two of her other vehicles were also damaged.
"The bumper's melted, the lights are melted. So I don't know. I'm hoping that they'll be salvageable," she said.
The heat from the fire was intense enough to crack a window in Bayerd-Ramsey's home. Another resident, Lisa Walker, said the scene was frightening.
"It just looked like a ball of flames. All you could see was flames in the air. That's all you could see and smoke. And amber, you know, flying in the air. It was scary," Walker said.
SJFD Battalion Chief Robert Herrera said firefighters did not need to evacuate residents from the complex.
"The damage was located and just kind of localized in the carport vehicle areas between the two complexes. It's actually two different complexes. Some of the vehicles that were on the other side of the fence were also damaged by thermal damage," Herrera said.
While many residents lost vehicles in the fire, no injuries were reported.
Despite the destruction, Bayerd-Ramsey said she was thankful the fire did not lead to greater harm.
"I'm just glad that we're all alive because of the blasts and everything. It was very, very scary," she said.
The carport remained taped off Friday, with water still on the ground from firefighting efforts as the investigation continued.
