Thirty-two firefighters from eight engines and a ladder truck, including crews from the Tracy Defense Depot and Lathrop-Manteca Fire District, battled the blaze for almost an hour.
Fire officials feared the blaze could spread north, south or east from the houses, which were side-by-side down a long driveway off the 100 block of East Kavanagh Avenue in the back of a multi-house complex.
Crew members on the first engines to arrive called for more backup when they saw the two houses fully ablaze, said Tracy Fire Department Division Chief Dave Bramell.
“There was a lot of smoke and flames, and the (housing) units were well involved,” Bramell said.
Officials believe the fire originated in the house on the east side of the complex. Bramell said it’s likely the second house caught fire after the flames made their way through a fence.
Bramell said windy conditions contributed to the fire’s spread.
He added that the radiant heat was so intense that a shed behind a nearby house also started to burn.
Residents in the area described seeing an orange glow and flames whipping into the air.
“I looked out my window, and the flames were as high as the tree,” Laura Esquiel said.
Her sister, Vanessa, said she was sleeping when she heard people in the house to the rear screaming. She said her dog started to bark before she saw the fire.
Among the crowd gathered across the street from the fire scene were Maria Valdez and her husband, Julio, who recalled hearing people screaming.
“It was scary,” Maria Valdez said, watching the firefighters battle the blaze. “I was inside my house and I heard a lady screaming, ‘Maybe he fell asleep with a cigarette.’ I saw the flames.”
Bramell, however, didn’t speculate about the fire’s cause, stating it is still under investigation.
Julio Valdez said he was happy to see the firefighters arrive quickly. He said all he could see across the street was a large orange glow
No firefighters were injured, but two local residents were reportedly injured, including a man with burns to his feet. Both men were treated at a local hospital.
The San Joaquin Chapter of the American Red Cross was contacted by Tracy fire to assist the displaced families, which included eight adults and five children, all of whom are younger than 10.
The Tracy office of the Red Cross can be reached at 833-0255.
Fire damaged the garage and attic of one house, as well as the attic and a section of the living space in the other house. Bramell estimated the damage to both houses is about $250,000.
So sorry to hear about your family's house fire. Please call the local hotels in the area and speak to the management. Often they will comp the rooms under these circumstances for a few days. Also, you can set up an emergency fund at a local bank to help with expenses, then you can post it in the Tracy Press. For clothes please contact "because of marcus.com" they can provide clothes for the family, all free of charge. Contact the Mc Henry Shelter for other resources that may be able to help your family.
Sincerely, worried daughter whose lost on how to help!!!! Melissa
E-mail- proudmomsof5@hotmail.com
I will be checking my e-mails periodically throughout the day so feel free to send me a message anytime.
Anyone who may have a home or apartment or whatever that they own but is vacant at the moment and you would like to help someone in need please leave me your contact information in your e-mail so I can personally get back to you as quickly as possible because time is not on their side!!!
Yet another reason why we should not cram houses so close together. If one burns then they go up one after another. These newer homes on lots with essentially zero space between them are disasters waiting to happen. Every lot should be at least 10x the sq footage of the house.