A three-alarm fire erupted in San Jose yesterday, leaving multiple residents and pets without a home. The blaze, which was reported at approximately 2:37 PM in the 3300 block of Gavota Avenue, quickly spread to adjacent structures, prompting a swift response from local firefighters.
The fire began in a space between two homes, leading to simultaneous damage to both properties. Emergency personnel attended to the scene and successfully extricated all occupants from the primary fire structure. According to a KTVU report, neighbor Dan McReynolds was instrumental in assisting a woman and her dog to safety, saying, "She was inside the house and she was kind of locked in because she has a dog that's a little aggressive. And finally we got her out and she was a little bit hesitant about coming out without one of her dogs. It was just kind of scary."
Battalion Chief Shawn Tacklind pointed to flammable materials in one of the yards as a complicating factor in combating the fire. "Looked like somebody was maybe a mechanic of some sort, working on a lot of equipment and vehicles back there. So it's a lot of equipment that added to the fuel for the fire," Tacklind told KTVU. The San José Fire Department's updates confirmed that the fire was knocked down in both affected houses, and crews began demobilizing soon after.
After over an hour of firefighting, one firefighter was treated for heat exhaustion, though no residents were injured. The fire resulted in two adults and two dogs being displaced from the primary fire structure, with one dog still unaccounted for. Four adults, four dogs, and one cat were displaced from the exposed structure, with the cat missing. "No Red Cross needs" were reported for the occupants of the primary home, while the Red Cross was requested to assist the four adults from the exposure, as per the San José Fire Department.
#SJFD firefighters are responding to a third alarm assignment for a fire at a one-story single-family residential structure on the 3300 block of Gavota Ave. Fire has extended to an adjacent house. All occupants out of primary fire structure. Please avoid the area.
— San José Fire Dept. (@SJFD) July 23, 2025
TOC: 2:37pm. pic.twitter.com/JB9UfNu2GS
The investigation into the cause of the fire continues, but authorities have reported that no suspicious activity is believed to be involved. Residents from the neighborhood recalled the frightening moments as the fire spread with Tony DiNapoli, a local who was home at the time, unable to fathom the situation, telling KTVU, "I went to the backyard and it was just a gray blanket of smoke," adding that his companion yelled, "The house is on fire." The San José Fire Department's social media post emphasized the importance of avoiding the area during the operation and has not yet released an update on the search for the unaccounted pets.
