Firefighter suffers heat exhaustion battling house fire in East Foothills of San Jose

SAN JOSE, Calif. (KTVU) - A firefighter was injured Tuesday afternoon while responding to a house fire in the East Foothills of San Jose. 

The firefighter was treated at the scene for heat exhaustion fire officials said, but no one else was hurt. Triple-digit heat in the South Bay made things extra challenging for firefighters. 

The fire broke out around 12:34 p.m. Tuesday at 14988 McVay Avenue, according to Fire Capt. Mitch Matlow. Fire officials initially reported the blaze involved two homes and some vegetation, but only one home was actually damaged.  

The woman who lives at the house that is burned was away with family at the time of the fire and will be displaced for the time being, Matlow said. 

A third of the house is burned and the rest of the home has water damage, in addition to about 1 acre of burnt vegetation. 

The three-alarm fire was brought under control in about two hours, officials said. SJFD believes downed electrical wire caused the fire. 

One neighbor said they heard a couple of pops and then the power went out. Shortly after, the neighbor said he went outside and saw the hillside on fire. 

The two homes were evacuated safely.

As many as 60 firefighters fought this blaze, according to San Jose Fire Department. 

"It has been a hot, dry fire season so far. We had several large fires around the city [but] haven't had the really big ones in San Jose city limits yet. They're coming," Matlow warned. 

SJFD posted a photo on social media of two seats from San Francisco's old Candlestick Park that were salvaged in the blaze. The extent of the home's damage was not yet known. 

Firefighters cleared the scene as of 6:30 p.m., but Milpitas and Santa Clara County firefighters are keeping watch over things to make sure things don't flare up and the house does not reignite. 

San Jose is currently under an excessive heat warning from the National Weather Service, with 
temperatures as high as 100 degrees.

Bay City News contributed to this report.