Sign in

San Jose fire: 3-alarm structure fire erupts on Saratoga Ave; scary visuals emerge

A three-alarm structure fire erupted at Saratoga Avenue in San Jose, California, on Friday, and traffic nearby was hit. 

Updated on: Jan 31, 2026, 07:29:17 IST
Share
Share via
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • linkedin
  • whatsapp
Copy link
  • copy link

A three-alarm structure fire erupted on the 1700 block of Saratoga Ave, San Jose, California, on Friday. There was a two-story vacant structure and the blaze led to traffic nearby being hit, as per San Jose Fire Department.

The San Jose Fire Department advised people to avoid the area. (X/@SJFD)
The San Jose Fire Department advised people to avoid the area. (X/@SJFD)

They also informed that defensive operations were on, and people were asked to avoid the area.

SJFD also shared a map of the blaze and noted “Saratoga Ave is closed in both directions between Prospect Rd and Lawrence Expressway. Lawrence Expressway shut down at Saratoga Ave.”

San Jose fire: Scary visuals emerge

Meanwhile, scary visuals emerged showing thick smoke visible as a result of the blaze. “Saratoga Ave Structure fire,” a Facebook page noted.

Many others reacted to smoke being visible from afar. “Looks insane,” one person commented, sharing an image where a thick plume could be seen rising from behind a building.

Others were shocked at what happened. “What building? Crazy,” a person wrote on Facebook. “What happen here,” asked another. One person shared a screenshot of the map attempting to circle out the building believed to be ablaze.

The San Jose Fire Department has not yet shared a cause behind the blaze.

Visuals showed firefighters on scene trying to tackle the blaze. Another person writing about the fire said on X “Big fire at the corner of Saratoga and Lawrence in San Jose. Strip business center, huge plume of black smoke, FD is having trouble establishing water supply, roof just collapsed, apparently getting ready to close both Saratoga Ave and Prospect at Lawrence.”

One page took note of Friday traffic being impacted.

“When Friday evening commute traffic meets a huge fire down the street…Looks like it’s at the #SanJose - Saratoga border in the west side of #SiliconValley,” they wrote.

  • Shuvrajit Das Biswas
    ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    Shuvrajit Das Biswas

    Shuvrajit has over seven years of experience covering US, India, and world news. An English Literature postgraduate from Jadavpur University, Shuvrajit started off covering entertainment, gaming and all things pop culture. There were brief periods away from the media industry, with short stints in content marketing, ed-tech and academic editing. However, the newsroom beckoned and over the last few jobs, Shuvrajit has exceedingly focused on team functioning as well, including tracking news and assigning tasks, working on everyday breaking news, framing detailed coverage plans, and creating immersive and data-driven stories. In his time as a digital journalist, he has covered a Lok Sabha election, multiple state elections, Union Budgets and award ceremonies. He has also helped in planning content for company event panels in the past. For work, Shuvrajit enjoys dabbling with data visualization, editing tools, and AI chatbots and attempts to incorporate AI workflows in everyday tasks. He is deeply interested in geopolitics, sports, films and music. Prompting is a new fascination for Shuvrajit now. Apart from that, he can be found doom-scrolling, sharing memes, or cheering on his favorite football team.Read More

Stay updated with US News covering politics, crime, weather, local events, and sports highlights. Get the latest on Donald Trump and American politics along with Horoscope 2026.