A fire Tuesday night destroyed a 4,800-square-foot building
housing Villa Painting off of Fallon Road, a fire captain confirmed
today.
HOLLISTER
A fire Tuesday night destroyed a 4,800-square-foot building housing Villa Painting off of Fallon Road, a fire captain confirmed today.
The fire was reported shortly after 10 p.m., but by the time firefighters arrived they were forced to battle the blaze in a defensive mode from the outside while preventing it from spreading to nearby buildings, Capt. Mike O’Connor said.
They were successful in containing the fire to the large building – about 80 feet by 60 feet – but the structure is a total loss with estimated damages coming to somewhere between $500,000 and $1 million, O’Connor said. Also preventing firefighters from entering the structure were multiple propane tank explosions, which forced crews to back off of the blaze at times, he said.
“What was burning when we arrived is what burned,” said O’Connor, noting how 32 firefighters were on scene from the Hollister Fire Department, San Benito County Fire Department and Gilroy Fire Department.
O’Connor pointed out how there are some environmental issues to address such as paint that spilled from the building as it burned. He said the county environmental health department is examining the effects.
Fire investigators determined the area of origin – near electrical panels – but there was inadequate evidence to point definitively to a single cause, the fire captain said.
The building located at 120 Fallon Road is on a five- to eight-acre plot near the airport and is neighbored by a few other businesses, O’Connor said. He pointed out that crews also prevented the fire from spreading to the office building “connected right to it.”
