A small fire today burned a portion of a structure that was used
for residential housing but separate form the property’s main house
in the 600 block of Central Avenue. Two units are separate from the
main house on the property but are connected together. The fire
damaged a quarter of the one of the units in the two-unit
structure, and white smoke consumed nearly the entire dwelling.
A small fire today burned a portion of a structure that was used for residential housing but separate form the property’s main house in the 600 block of Central Avenue.
The blaze started around 3 p.m. after a young girl was playing with a lighter and caught something on fire, Hollister Fire Chief Fred Cheshire said. He didn’t know the age of the girl.
Firefighters were called at 3:17 p.m. and extinguished the fire within 15 minutes, Cheshire said. Despite having difficulties getting to the small building, nobody was hurt.
The structure was built behind a home that rested in front of Central Avenue. The property has three housing units on it.
Two units are separate from the main house on the property but are connected together. The fire damaged a quarter of the one of the units in the two-unit structure, and white smoke consumed nearly the entire dwelling. The second attached unit was unharmed by the smoke and fire.
Nine firefighters fought the fire, including one engine and truck.
Cheshire indicated he wasn’t sure if the structure was legal. Including the house, the property had three housing units and an unidentified number of people living inside them.
“What we are going to do is research the legality of all these different units,” he said.
Code Enforcement Officer Mike Chambless said the structure is legal if it was built before 1978, before the building code was established. Otherwise, it is not, he said.
Chambless said he was going to look through permits within the next couple of days and determine if the structure was legal.
Look back for photos and video from the fire.
