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Enormous fire at California Home Depot seen from space

cali fire.jpg
Posted at 12:44 PM, Apr 11, 2022
and last updated 2022-04-20 12:03:35-04

UPDATE (April 20, 2022): Authorities say a man charged with setting a fire that gutted a Northern California Home Depot, prompted hundreds to flee and filled the sky with smoke was trying to cover up a theft of tools. Dyllin Gogue of San Jose has been charged with aggravated arson and theft. He appeared in court Tuesday but didn't enter a plea to charges that could carry a potential life sentence. Santa Clara County prosecutors accuse Gogue of setting the April 9 blaze in South San Jose that caused an estimated $17 million in losses. The district attorney said the store was crowded with weekend shoppers, and he was thankful nobody was injured or killed.

Man charged with setting fire at San Jose Home Depot

It took about 100 firefighters to fight a fire at a Home Depot store in California over the weekend that caused the evacuation of homes nearby.

According to the San Jose Fire Department, the five-alarm blaze was reported at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, apparently near the store's lumber supply, and took about six hours to contain.

Employees and customers were able to evacuate, and no injuries have been reported.

Fire officials said crews worked to ensure the flames did not spread to other businesses, including a vet hospital and an additional hardware store.

Fifteen homes and the animals at the vet hospital were safely evacuated, and a shelter-in-place was issued due to unhealthy air. The shelter-in-place was lifted Sunday afternoon.

According to the NWS, the fire was so intense that its heat signature was captured by a satellite in space.

The Associated Press reported that the fire fed on flammable materials and chemicals.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

In an update on Monday, fire officials said in a tweet that crews were at the location monitoring for hot spots.