A two-alarm fire that destroyed a 118-year-old house at San Jose’s History Park early Sunday morning is being examined by the San Jose Fire Department’s arson unit.
San Jose Fire Capt. Jeremy Mann said there were no injuries in the fire, which was reported at 3:42 a.m. and also damaged two other structures. An investigation into the cause is ongoing and could take several weeks to complete.
“It’s sad,” Mann said. “Obviously you don’t want to lose any of your buildings. This has some historical significance to the city of San Jose.”
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The damage could have been much more devastating to both the park and San Jose’s historic collection. The Nelson-DeLuz house, which was destroyed, is located at the Phelan Avenue entrance to History Park and is right next door to the Pasetta House, which contains a gallery displaying paintings by famed Santa Clara valley artists including Andrew P. Hill and A.D.M. Cooper.
The rear wall of the Pasetta House facing the Nelson-DeLuz house was scorched and windows in that area were damaged. It was actually the smoke alarm from the Pasetta House that triggered the San Jose Fire Department response.
Ken Middlebrook, History San Jose’s curator of collections, said the paintings inside the David and Leonard McKay gallery suffered smoke damage but were all intact. Collections Manager Katrina Anderson, Archives Curator Cate Mills and Middlebrook carefully wrapped the paintings to transport them for storage in the city’s collection center.
The Califaro Tank House, a 19th-century structure located behind …read more
Source:: The Mercury News