Authorities said the fire spread quickly to a fence, engulfing it in flames. It then spread into the single-family home’s attic. The family of four, two parents and two small children, were not at home at the time of the fire, and a neighbor was credited with rescuing the family dog from the backyard.
As firefighters arrived on scene for the call at 3:49 p.m. — originally for a vegetation fire — officials said they quickly upgraded the fire to a second alarm for more manpower and engines.
The fire quickly spread from the fence to the house and into the attic, Division Chief Dave Bramell said.
Firefighters from Tracy and the San Joaquin Defense Distribution Center went into the house to attack it from the inside, while other Tracy firefighters worked on the exterior.
At one point, a portion of the roof collapsed as members of the ladder company were cutting holes in the roof. He said all firefighters were ordered off and out of the building as they began to attack the fire from the outside. A short time later, the chimney collapsed into the attic.
Heavy smoke billowed through the small neighborhood, alerting residents to the fire.
“I was riding (my bicycle) to go play basketball, and I saw the smoke,” neighbor Trim Goldman said. “I went up there and saw the flames. First the fence was on fire, and then it disappeared. There was no fence.”
A neighbor who asked to remain anonymous said she smelled smoke and thought it was a grass fire —there have been many in a nearby field, she said.
“It’s a shame two little girls will be displaced because of it,” she said.
“It was a really nice family,” neighbor Phillip Rodriguez said, as he watched the firefighters extinguish the fire. “It’s really sad.”
The fire was put out in just over an hour, and no injuries were reported.
Those wishing to help the family can make donations to the San Joaquin County Chapter of the American Red Cross.
None of us wants to blame one of our own young people. It is always easier to shift the blame to some faceless entity like the city or union pacific but the fact is that the involved are the only ones to blame. I might argue for blaming their parents as well if they were younger but at 15 they are young men, nearly old enough to drive and are totally responsible for their own actions.
The fault lies with both, Union Pacific, and these kids. Unfortunately if Union Pacific abided by Tracy's Code Enforcement laws, no kids would have been in this field to be able to start a fire. There is no fence on UP's property and the City has been fining them daily for nearly two years to fix this issue.
While we appreciate everyones concerns and interests, right now we just need to be able to take care of each other privately and not be a spectacle to everyone who wants to drive by and gawk at our loss.
If you'd like to help out, please reiterate the importance of not playing with fire to each of your children. We wouldn't wish this on anyone elses family.
The Red Cross can always use donations and we encourage you to reach out to them so that you can help make other families lives better after their losses.
I fought to have the City of Tracy be aware
Of this danger.
A wall could have been,should have been put up
On that side of the neighborhood, Years ago.
Every year I lived there the fields always caught
Fire ; Due in part to it being a dumping grounds
For debris and trash.
This is gross Negligence on the the City of Tracy.
Luckily no lives were lost.
Prez from Indiana.
If anyone out there knows the family and what their needs are please post that information here and where we can drop off their needed supplies.
There is a field behind our homes and the kids walk through on their way to and from school. Usually the kids just pass through, but there are always some punks who are getting into trouble back there. My husband and I try to scare them off, sadly I wasn't home yesterday until after the fire started...
Part of my fence caught flame and thankfully my other neighbor came into our backyard and put the hose on our fence or there may have been more than one house in flames :(
I feel terrible for this family and hope that they are able to catch who did this! My neighbor found some evidence linking a high school-er to this and gave it to the police yesterday; who ever started this fire needs to be held accountable! This is unacceptable! An innocent family of 4 have now lost not only their home but so much more!
This is devastating and heartbreaking! I feel so terrible for this family!
I really hope that justice is served for this family!
We watched the firefighters try to save this house & I want to give props to all the hardworking firemen! They really put in a strong effort!