One person was injured in the 4-alarm fire on El Camino Real — between Scott Boulevard and Pierce Street — in Santa Clara. The injured person’s identity was not provided but was identified as a construction worker, according to Santa Clara Fire Chief Bill Kelly. No firefighters were injured while battling the flames. The cause of the fire is under investigation and mop-up efforts are underway.
Kelly said that the injured person was taken to the hospital. An update on their condition was not available.
The fire started shortly before 11 a.m. on Friday, June 28 and was at the construction site of the Anantara Villas development at 1890 El Camino Real. According to Chief Kelly, the structure was occupied when the fire started.
Santa Clara Firefighters and Police, as well as aid from San Jose, were on site. As of around 12:30 p.m. Chief Kelly confirmed that the fire was under control and only one structure was affected.
As the fire burned, the Santa Clara Police Department issued an evacuation order for Pierce and Clay Streets, which are within one block of the blaze. Residents can expect to be able to come home later this evening, according to the Fire Department. Silicon Valley Power also stated that they had to turn off power to 17 customers due to the fire — no update yet when power will be restored.
According to the Fire Department’s Twitter, 10 fire engines, three trucks, five Chief Officers, rescue air and light units, and two ambulances were on the scene to assist.
At about 1 p.m. the Santa Clara Fire Department Tweeted that they are investigating the cause of the fire and that El Camino is still closed between Lincoln and Scott Boulevard in both directions. They also Tweeted that there is no danger of the fire spreading, but they said debris will continue to smolder until mop-up work is completed.
The four-story development of 58 condominiums was supposed to be completed later this year. There is also a Chick-Fil-A under construction to the right of the affected structure.
Santa Clara Mayor Lisa Gillmor and incoming Fire Chief Ruben Torres were also at the scene of the fire. Firefighters will remain at the Anantara Villas throughout the day to watch for and deal with hotspots.
The Santa Clara Fire Department shared this video of the blaze by first units from Second Alarm. Visit our Facebook page for our Live video streams: www.facebook.com/santaclaraweekly
Photo by Andrea on Facebook.