Two arson fires and a third blaze called suspicious broke out in
south Gilroy within a five-hour time period and left firefighters
searching for motives and suspects.
GILROY
Two arson fires and a third blaze called suspicious broke out in south Gilroy within a five-hour time period and left firefighters searching for motives and suspects.
Three fires ignited during the predawn hours last Saturday at Gilroy Ford Lincoln Mercury, the Gilroy Sports Park and Bay Sheets – a corrugated paper plant – fire investigators said. The fires at the car dealership and sports park were set intentionally and the three-alarm fire at the cardboard plant is suspicious, Chief Dale Foster said. The blazes have firefighters guessing as to how many arsonists are roaming Gilroy and what is spurring the crimes.
The first fire was reported at 2:05 a.m. outside a warehouse at Bay Sheets, on Alexander Street just south of 10th Street, according to fire officials. When firefighters arrived on scene, several rows of 5-foot-tall commercial-grade paper rolls – stacked 3 or 4 high – were fueling flames more than three stories in the air.
Because the rolls were so thick – three to four feet – and provided such good fuel, firefighters spent more than 24 hours dousing the paper before the fire was out, Foster said. While the rolls were kept far enough away from the company’s buildings that no structures were damaged, the cost of lost paper is estimated at $2 million.
Though fire investigators did not find evidence that pointed to arson, the blaze is suspicious because there was no other apparent cause, Foster said. There were no electrical outlets near the paper rolls, there was no spilled fuel and the railroad tracks were too far away to provide sparks.
About 3:38 a.m., a fire was reported at the Ford dealership at the corner of Monterey Road and Luchessa Avenue. When firefighters arrived, they found a small fire burning on a building’s roof, Foster said.
Though firefighters originally thought the fire had resulted from embers that floated over from the paper fire, they discovered evidence of arson when they got closer to the flames, Foster said. In addition, firefighters found a couple of cars were covered in gasoline.
Though firefighters quickly extinguished the blaze, it caused between $15,000 and $20,000 in damages to the building’s roof, exhaust and air conditioning, said Joe Lopez, a dealership manager.
While fire investigators were inspecting the arson on top of the dealership’s roof about 6:38 a.m., they spotted an additional fire across the street about a half-mile away at the sports park, Foster said.
A dumpster had been pushed up against the north bathrooms – near where the levee trail connects with the park – and had been set on fire, Foster said. The sports park fire was quickly put out and little damage was done to the bathrooms.
