The loss of an outbuilding that went up in flames over Morgan Hill capped off a busy weekend for emergency fire agencies.
Three engines responded to a structure fire in the hills east of Morgan Hill Sunday night about 9:23 p.m., according to Battalion Chief Derrek Witmer of South County Fire Department. The 100-square-foot building, adjacent to a residence at 16605 Finley Ridge Road, was described as a single room that contained a generator and batteries to serve as an alternate power source for the home.
No injuries were reported, but the building was a total loss, Witmer said. The value of the lost contents of the building was estimated at about $30,000, plus a loss of $10,000 on the structure itself.
The fire's cause was under investigation at press time, and Witmer said the generator was not running when the fire started.
The blaze, which was visible from the valley floor in Morgan Hill, was contained to the single building, with no damage to the nearby home or surrounding vegetation, Witmer said.
Personnel from the Santa Clara County, South Santa Clara County, and San Jose Fire Departments, as well as Cal Fire responded to the blaze.
Since Friday, firefighters put out at least six reported grass fires and a Dumpster fire in the Morgan Hill area.
The biggest was a 25-acre blaze at 100 Metcalf Road north of Morgan Hill. About 110 firefighters, 15 engines, and several aircraft responded to that fire, which started about noon Friday and only destroyed grass and brush, Capt. Mike Borelli of Cal Fire said. San Jose, South County and Cal Fire departments responded to that blaze, the cause of which is under investigation.
On Sunday, Cal Fire and South County Fire responded to another grass fire that was "a couple acres" in size, Borelli said. That blaze occurred at 1975 Gwinn Ave. in San Martin, and started about 5 p.m. No structure damage or injuries were reported in that fire, Borelli said.
In other activity, a mulch fire caused by a discarded cigarette on East Dunne Avenue near Butterfield Boulevard was extinguished by a witness before it caused any damage Saturday at 2:22 p.m.; a passenger vehicle fire at the 17100 block of Aspen Way in Morgan Hill caused about $5,000 worth of damage Saturday about 3 p.m.; and a one-acre grass fire near Cochrane Road and U.S. 101 about 12:55 a.m. Sunday did not cause any damage.
The causes the vehicle fire and the early morning grass fire were undetermined at press time, and no injuries were reported in the weekend fire incidents.
Michael Moore Michael Moore covers county and law enforcement issues for the Morgan Hill Times. Reach him at (408) 779-4106, ext. 202, or mmoore@morganhilltimes.com.
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