Police are searching for a man they believe may have information
concerning a fire Monday morning that destroyed a 100-foot carport,
burned four cars beyond recognition and had the potential to ignite
three apartment complexes on Valley View Road.
Hollister – Police are searching for a man they believe may have information concerning a fire Monday morning that destroyed a 100-foot carport, burned four cars beyond recognition and had the potential to ignite three apartment complexes on Valley View Road.
Fire officials believe someone may have set one of the cars parked underneath a carport in the 1500 block of Valley View Road on fire around 12:45am. The fire quickly engulfed the entire carport and spread to nearby parked cars, according to Hollister Fire Chief Bill Garringer. By the time firefighters arrived, 60-foot flames were shooting into the air and licking the sides of the three nearby apartment complexes, Garringer said.
Although everyone living inside the approximately 12 units was evacuated and no one was injured, Garringer said the heat from the fire was so intense it cracked all the windows within 40 feet.
“The flames were probably within 10 feet of the apartment buildings. When we have a building 150 feet long fully involved in fire, it’s throwing off pretty significant heat,” Garringer said. “We were very lucky and our crews did a heck of a job putting hose lines on the building and keeping them wet until enough people arrived to put out the fire.”
Witnesses to the fire told officials that just before the fire began they saw a vehicle parked at the end of the carport and an unidentified male was doing something to one of the parked cars, Garringer said. Right after that, one of the cars was set on fire and the person quickly backed out of the carport and drove away, Garringer said.
A witness followed the car to Caputo Court, where police later found it abandoned, according to Hollister Police spokesman George Ramirez. Police are searching for a 35-year-old Hispanic male, 5 feet 9 inches tall, 200 pounds with short or shaved hair and a medium complexion who was last seen wearing a white shirt and blue shorts, Ramirez said.
Although police impounded the vehicle, a white Chevrolet utility truck, officials have not searched the vehicle yet, Fire Marshal Mike O’Connor said.
“We have not been able to contact the person leaving the scene or the owner of the vehicle, either,” O’Connor said. “Without getting more information from one of them, I’m not able to get the rest of the story.”
Garringer said the call was originally dispatched as a car fire, but it should have come out as a structure fire. When crews from the city’s new fire station on Union Road arrived, at least 90 percent of the carport was engulfed, along with several of the cars parked underneath it, he said.
Additional help was requested and about 25 firefighters with Hollister city, San Benito County and the California Department of Forestry responded and worked for nearly two hours to completely extinguish the flames, Garringer said. Four engine companies, which carry hoses to extinguish the fire, and one truck company, which includes a ladder and rescue equipment, were on hand, Garringer said. However, clean up crews didn’t leave the scene until about 1:30pm Monday, he said.
The fire burned four cars beyond recognition, destroyed the carport, which collapsed on the cars, and burned the roof of a nearby carport belonging to another apartment complex, Garringer said. In all, the fire caused upwards of $30,000 damage, according to O’Connor.
The windows of the apartments were replaced Monday and none of the residents were displaced, however Red Cross members responded from Salinas just in case and provided firefighters with refreshments while they worked, Garringer said.
The chief also noted that if not for the new fire station on Union and Valley View roads, the fire could have wreaked more havoc than it did.
“That engine got there very quickly – within three minutes,” he said. “Our brand new engine and brand new station is really what saved the apartment buildings.”
Anyone with information about the fire is asked to contact the Hollister Police Department at (831) 636-4330.
Erin Musgrave covers public safety for the Free Lance. Reach her at 637-5566, ext. 336 or [email protected]
