A fire at 601 Churchill Road in San Benito County on Thursday
evening resulted in a mobile home and a small farm building
becoming completely engulfed, but none of the 13 residents were
injured.
A fire at 601 Churchill Road in San Benito County on Thursday evening resulted in a mobile home and a small farm building becoming completely engulfed, but none of the 13 residents were injured.
The fire raised questions about possible code violation issues at the property, which prompted inspectors with the county Code Enforcement Division and Environmental Health to investigate the site Friday morning, according to Cliff Williams, an investigator with the California Department of Forestry. The City of Hollister Fire Department also responded to the call.
“The code enforcement folks were out there (Friday) morning taking a look,” Williams said. “They’re going to take some action.”
County Code Enforcement Officer Stacey Watson was not in the office Friday and could not be reached for comment.
The fire started at approximately 6:30 p.m. Thursday and was completely contained by about 7 p.m. Both structures were burned down. And Williams estimated the damage at $40,000. “Because they are older homes,” he said.
The farm building, he said, was about 20 feet by 40 feet, and resembled a cottage structure.
One of the families was not home, Williams said, when the fire likely began because of a problem with the water heater.
