A longtime Hollister couple lost a home and most of their
keepsakes, when a fire swept through a westside house late Sunday
morning.
The fire at 351 Line St. gutted the one-story house, but the two
residents and responding firefighters escaped without injury,
according to Hollister Fire Chief Bill Garringer.
A longtime Hollister couple lost a home and most of their keepsakes, when a fire swept through a westside house late Sunday morning.
The fire at 351 Line St. gutted the one-story house, but the two residents and responding firefighters escaped without injury, according to Hollister Fire Chief Bill Garringer.
It began at about 11 a.m. after a wicker clothes hamper, temporarily placed near a bathroom heater, ignited. Homeowner Edward Cecena told fire investigators he moved the clothes basket before taking a shower, while concurrently turning on the heater by accident, Garringer said.
The couple had lived at the home for several decades, according to Jim Frost, father-in-law of Cecena’s son. It is where they raised all four of their children, now all adults, Frost said.
After the fire had been extinguished, Frost watched from across the street as Cecena and others emptied charred remnants, mostly furniture, from the house.
“From what I hear, they were lucky to get out of it,” Frost said. “It was just like a fireball. It’s an awful thing.”
The couple was preparing to leave for a trip to Salinas, Garringer said. After finishing his shower and leaving the bathroom, Edward Cecena returned to a cloud of smoke and the enflamed basket. He grabbed the basket to throw it outside the house, but couldn’t hold on long enough, Garringer said. So he tossed it into the shower.
Cecena was overcome by smoke and was forced to leave the house, Garringer said.
The fire quickly spread – Garringer pointed out a house fire doubles in size each minute. By the time the Hollister Fire Department and its crew of 15 firefighters arrived, smoke eclipsed the house as flames shot from windows and the roof, he said.
“When firefighters got there, they couldn’t see anything,” said the chief.
Garringer said the family did not immediately call authorities for help. The couple is Spanish-speaking, he said, which may have contributed to the delay.
Once firefighters arrived, their progress was also hindered by the setup of the old structure, which included several recently remodeled rooms and an attic, Garringer said.
“It took a lot of work to track down all the little avenues where the fire spreads and extinguish them,” he said.
The couple had planned to stay with family members, according to Frost, who called the Cecena’s, “Good people, good people.”
“Why does it have to happen to good people?” he wondered.
