News

San Jose Home Depot Fire So Large It Can Be Seen from Outer Space

Published

2 years ago

April 11, 2022

darryl

Fires can get pretty gnarly. The San Jose Home Depot fire that occurred on Saturday night was so huge it could be seen from outer space.

The fire started near the lumber department at around 6 PM on Saturday, and quickly spread to the rest of the building. Firemen were able to get it under control by 11:44 the same night.

Employees and customers were able to evacuate safely. However, the building is a total loss.

“The roof is pretty much collapsed from the entire structure so it’s going to take some time to get in there if we even can, if it’s going to be safe for our people to get in there,” fire chief Brad Cloutier was quoted as saying.

When the blaze was at its peak, its heat signature was captured on multiple satellites.

The National Weather Service’s Bay Area office released a tweet stating, “Structure fire seen from space. GOES West Meso Sector picking (up) a heat signature just south of San Jose.”

Weather events are tracked by Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites which are operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. They are used for forecasting and researching purposes. The heat signature was also tracked on the NWS Bay Area’s KMUX weather radar.

Fortunately, no one was injured in the fire. However, people were asked to avoid the area due to poor air quality and possible dangers.

A pet hospital in the area was evacuated and owners were asked to pick up their pets at a separate meeting place.

The SJFD released a tweet stating, “If you live/work in the area of this fire on (Blossom Hill) and smell smoke, we recommend that you shelter in place. Close all doors and windows to minimize smoke from getting inside.”

A woman who lived three miles from the Home Depot reported debris from the fire was falling on her property.

It is unclear what started the fire, but it is fortunate that no injuries were reported.