The Student News Site of Monta Vista High School

El Estoque

The Student News Site of Monta Vista High School

El Estoque

The Student News Site of Monta Vista High School

El Estoque

Motor home catches fire, reason unknown

Motor+home+catches+fire%2C+reason+unknown
Burnt motor home blocks traffic on Stevens Creek Blvd. on Sept. 9. Tow trucks took more than four hours to clear the accident site. The cause of the fire remains unknown. Photo by Kevin Tsukii.

At around 11:30 a.m. on Sept. 9, a motor home parked on Stevens Creek Blvd. across from Imperial Ave. caught fire, producing flames that were visible from certain parts of the MVHS campus.

“The motor home was parked [in front of the post office],” Captain Parker Patri of the Santa Clara County Fire Department said. “The driver got out successfully, the fire department responded, and subsequently put the fire out.”

Three hours after the incident, two lanes were still blocked on Stevens Creek Blvd., causing heavy traffic down the entire street.  Tow truck drivers waited for over half an hour to clear the area and open up both lanes.  After the fire was put out, water continued to drip from both sides of the destroyed motor home and flowed down the curbs of the street.  The strong stench of burning materials suggested that almost everything in the vehicle had been consumed in flames.

Cupertino resident Dave McLeroy, who was present at the site of the accident, saw smoke rising from the motor home and watched as it suddenly burst into flames.

“I wanted to get away from it because it was very dangerous,” McLeroy said. “I got out [from the accident site], and there were early responders [who] didn’t need anyone else crowding around it.”

From what he observed, about 150 feet of black smoke was released from the vehicle, which was only carrying a small fire extinguisher—no match for a fire that large. He said that it was probably an older vehicle and was storing many flammable objects, such as cushions.

“It was quite horrific,” McLeroy said.  “It looked like people were maybe living out of it, and they lost their home.”

According to Patri, the cause of the fire is still unknown and is currently under investigation by the fire and sheriff’s departments.

More to Discover