San Jose nursing home evacuated as firefighters battle nearby blaze

A three-alarm fire broke out at an unoccupied building at 55 N. 13th Street in downtown San Jose on Saturday morning, leading to the evacuation of a nearby nursing home.

No injuries were reported and the fire did not spread to any nearby buildings, Fire Chief Graham Flanagan said.

The building appears to be a former medical office for a cardiologist, but had been unoccupied for some time, he added. The fire department was not aware of any homeless people using the building for shelter or cooking, he said.

Seven fire engines and four trucks responded to the site around 7:30 a.m. Saturday, along with three ambulances in case any of the nearby San Jose Healthcare & Wellness Center nursing home residents were impacted by the fire or smoke. The fire was contained within an hour, and as of 8:53 a.m., the nursing home had begun bringing residents back inside.

It remains unclear how the fire started, Flanagan said.

The building’s roof collapsed in, making it difficult to determine whether the source of the fire has been completely extinguished. Firefighters are remaining on scene and continuing to conduct “defensive operations” to ensure that the fire doesn’t break out again, Flanagan said.

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