A fire over the weekend seriously damaged one historic
structure, while local firefighters prevented another
long-cherished building from going up in flames. Sunday’s blaze at
the former San Benito Hotel building – which fire investigators
believe was caused by an unattended flame – led to a
”
substantial loss
”
to the north end of the downtown structure.
HOLLISTER
A fire over the weekend seriously damaged one historic structure, while local firefighters prevented another long-cherished building from going up in flames.
Sunday’s blaze at the former San Benito Hotel building – which fire investigators believe was caused by an unattended flame – led to a “substantial loss” to the north end of the downtown structure.
In years past, it has housed the hotel on the second floor and a bar on the first, but neither was actively in use and they should not have been occupied, Fire Chief Fred Cheshire said.
Two firefighters were treated for minor injuries, and one was transported to Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital for a severe ankle sprain sustained while battling the fire from the roof, Cheshire said.
Although fire crews had difficulty containing the blaze at the former hotel because it had progressed quickly to the attic before they arrived, local responders were successful in preventing the flames from spreading to the neighboring Masonic Lodge, the fire chief said.
Hollister firefighters first received the report of a blaze at 3:19 p.m. Sunday, Cheshire said. It took about two hours to control the fire because it is an “older building” and firefighters had difficulty busting through certain materials to extinguish any flames in the walls, he said, calling the response “labor intensive.”
Fire officials believe it started on the ground floor but by the time crews had arrived, the blaze had reached the attic space above the second floor, Cheshire said.
“We had to kind of chase it down,” he said.
Cheshire in recalling the fire noted how firefighters entered the building to battle the blaze on the second floor while others were on the roof for ventilation.
He pointed out how a primary focus was to prevent further spreading to the Masonic Lodge.
“One of our main concerns was to contain the fire to the building of origin and not let it go beyond that,” he said.
Look for more on the fire and the building’s history in The Weekend Pinnacle on Friday.
