A local woman was burned to death when she was trapped by a
fast-moving fire that roared through her trailer off of Bridgevale
Road Friday.
Alice Acosta, 34, of 490 Bridgevale Road, was pronounced dead at
the scene of the fire, the San Benito County Coroner’s Office
said.
A local woman was burned to death when she was trapped by a fast-moving fire that roared through her trailer off of Bridgevale Road Friday.
Alice Acosta, 34, of 490 Bridgevale Road, was pronounced dead at the scene of the fire, the San Benito County Coroner’s Office said.
An autopsy will be conducted today to determine the exact cause of death, said Sgt. Mike Rodrigues with the Sheriff-Coroners Office.
A preliminary investigation indicated that Acosta was trapped by the flames in a corner of a wooden shelter added onto the end of an illegally located 16-foot trailer, and she had no way to get to the only exit, the coroner’s office said.
Fire investigators are trying to determine what caused the fire. They said there were no immediate indications the blaze was arson or an act of foul play.
However, investigators said they will wait until they complete their investigation before releasing a cause.
At 9:10 p.m., residents living in a number of illegally placed trailers on and around 490 Bridgevale Road called for firefighters when they saw the smoke and flames coming from Acosta’s trailer.
“People who ran to the scene said they heard the victim screaming,” said Jeff Row, a battalion chief with the California Department of Forestry.
A total of 25 firefighters, three fire engines and one rescue unit from the San Benito County Fire Department and the Hollister Fire Department converged on the scene and extinguished the fire.
“We were very fortunate that no one else was injured and that the fire was contained to one area,” Row said.
A search of the building affirmed firefighters’ belief that there was no other victims in the structure.
Rodrigues said the fatality should never have happened because the trailers and makeshift dwellings that Acosta and other residents were living in are there illegally.
“The code enforcement officer came out and gave them all 10-day notices,” Rodrigues said.
The red tags give residents living in the illegally placed trailers and makeshift homes 10 days to move from the property or face evictions and possible fines.
“When we are done, it’s going to be an empty parcel,” Rodrigues said. “They were getting illegal power and utilities out there.”
The trailers have repeatedly been a source of frustration for firefighters who said they have repeatedly been called to the area to fight fires, often started by the substandard living conditions.
