Nobody was injured in a small fire that burned through the
backend of a house on the 1500 block of Alta Vista Way at about
1:20 p.m. Monday.
Nobody was injured in a small fire that burned through the backend of a house on the 1500 block of Alta Vista Way at about 1:20 p.m. Monday.
The blaze burned for nearly 20 minutes as firefighters worked to contain the fire in the house. Firefighters used ladders to climb onto the roof, and one firefighter walked into the building holding a chainsaw.
At the time, smoke was bellowing out of the backyard area.
At the scene, firefighters initially were unsure where the blaze started but most of the flames were in the back of the house, Hollister Fire Department Chief Fred Cheshire said. The total damage to the house was unknown.
“Doing what we do, there might be more damage, so right now I don’t know,” Cheshire said.
The house appeared to have smoke damage, but the level of fire damage was unknown.
Resident Steve Castillo was at the home with his wife at the time of the fire, he said. His dad, who owns the home, was not there.
The fire started in this father’s bedroom, which is in the back of the home, he said. He was not sure how it started.
“I was in the second bathroom when the lights started flickering,” he said. “My wife was walking down the hallway and saw smoke.”
Castillo tried to stop the fire by swiping at it with a towel, but the fire already was too big.
“The flames were already too large,” he said. “My wife called 911 and they told us to get out, so we did. The smoke was getting really bad.”
Three fire trucks were involved in the response to the fire, including one from San Benito County Fire.
