An early morning fire Saturday on Diablo Drive destroyed the
upper floors of a four-plex apartment building and most of its
roof, but no residents among the four residing families were
injured.
The fire occurred at 3:30 a.m. at 1430 Diablo Drive, which is
off Sunnyslope Road on Hollister’s east side. Two of the families
were in the building at the time of the incident, according to
Hollister Fire Capt. Tim Schneider.
An early morning fire Saturday on Diablo Drive destroyed the upper floors of a four-plex apartment building and most of its roof, but no residents among the four residing families were injured.
The fire occurred at 3:30 a.m. at 1430 Diablo Drive, which is off Sunnyslope Road on Hollister’s east side. Two of the families were in the building at the time of the incident, according to Hollister Fire Capt. Tim Schneider.
The cause was not determined by press time, Schneider said. He said an investigation could be completed sometime Monday.
“We could see the flames from our fire station (downtown),” Schneider said. The downtown fire station is about four miles from the site.
The rising flames and smoke also brought out the local chapter of the American Red Cross, which scurried to find shelter for the families; there were numerous children among the four displaced families, according to Schneider.
Joey Diaz lived with his girlfriend and her two daughters – 5 and 7 years old – in one of the apartments. He was out of town when it broke out, but arrived Saturday night to see his home charred into rubble, he said.
“It was just a shock, what can you say?” Diaz said.
He could not discern the fire’s cause and said he was planning to visit the Red Cross on Monday morning.
“I’d love to know what happened,” he said.
Several rooms were destroyed in the building, which includes a single-story front apartment, along with the three apartments within the two stories toward the back of the building. Most of the walls throughout the building were also destroyed, Schneider said.
On Sunday, windows were boarded, and doors were posted with “unsafe to occupy” signs.
The California Department of Forestry’s county branch also responded to the fire, which was fully contained in about one hour, according to Schneider. He could not estimate the value of the damage.
