Tammy Freitas is the head supervisor at the local post
office
firefighters battling the blaze.
Fire investigators “strongly suspect” a blaze Saturday that destroyed a home was caused by fertilizer spontaneously lighting up, said San Benito County Fire Department Battalion Chief Curt Itson.
The fire destroyed the Riverside Road home of John and Tammy Freitas, who’s the head supervisor at the Hollister Post Office.
The department suspects fertilizer kept in a storage shed caught fire due to a combination of heat, pressure and moisture, Itson said.
The fire spread from the shed to the house, and by the time firefighters extinguished the flames, the house was in ruins and five of the family’s dogs were dead inside.
Tammy Freitas works as the officer in charge at the Hollister Post Office and was unavailable for comment on Tuesday.
The Freitas family was not at home when the fire started, and the blaze was noticed by a CalFire helicopter crew that was returning from extinguishing a brush fire near Soledad.
Itson said material such as fertilizer, oily rags and wood shavings can ignite if left in containers where certain conditions cause a chemical reaction that releases heat.
“Any cellulose material, when packed together and exposed to heat and compression, will generate heat,” Itson said. “The heat can build and build then when it gets oxygen it can ignite.”
Itson said anyone storing fertilizer, rags or organic material should keep it out of the sunlight and away from any structures. He said it’s also important to stir the material occasionally and to check to see if it’s generating heat.
“The conditions for this type of fire have to be just right,” he said. “But if you have the material, it’s important to check it routinely to be safe.”
A charity fund has been set by friends and relatives for the benefit the Freitas family. Donations can be made care of: San Benito Bank, account No. 0101626471
Similar circumstances at separate fire
Also on Sunday another fire started at Beaver Lumber Company in Hollister when a machine holding a vast quantity of wood shavings ignited under similar circumstances.
The fire’s cause remains under investigation, but Itson said the same phenomenon that burned the Freitas home is likely responsible.
Itson said the fire destroyed a $20,000 piece of equipment. No injuries were reported, and the fire did not spread to other structures.
