When a passerby stopped at San José Fire Station 35 at around 1:30 AM on Saturday, March 8, 2008 to alert Captain Trent Engler and his C-Shift crew of a fire on the old IBM property, Engler and his firefighters departed their station to find a massive column of smoke and fire coming from the center of the abandoned 69,000 square foot structure.
Captain Engler immediately requested a second-alarm to bolster the full-first alarm that had already been struck. A third-alarm was then struck some 15 minutes later due to access difficulties and a lack of immediately available water. Crews were forced to extend extremely long hose lays to supply the multiple hand lines, master streams, and portable monitors that were placed into service.
Over 80 firefighters battled the blaze for several hours before the majority of the flames were doused. The complex itself was the subject of some dispute after historical preservationists suggested the buildings be saved due to their association with early advances in information storage technology and the unique architectural design by John Bolles.
Two firefighters received minor sprains, and the cause of the blaze remains under investigation.Submitted by: SJFD Photographer, Craig Allyn Rose
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