FIRE DAMAGE REPORT`r a.
County of Santa �a
Ow
1
2
3
4
INYESTI6ATION RMT
7117
01Noe of ta• Me Nor"
140 Hamllne Street
San Jose, Callfornla 88110
2.2041 Area Code 408
REPORT NO. F-74/5-0
ALARM NO. 8130
FIRE DEPT ID
INCIDENT NO
EXPOSURE NO
TIME MONTH DAY
YEAR DAY
COIINTY
DIST
JURISDICTION
4 3 0 8 0
1
8
1 No equipment
F7
3 1 2119
? 4 CORE
OF FIREJ
DITY
VLI,
CEN/cup
LOCATION
CODE
ACT OR OI4ISSI014 CAt151NG IGNITION
2
VIOLATION
Suspicious Act, juvenile
10441 Castine Avenue,
Cupertino
OCCUPANT NAME
ALARM
ROBM IMSOON
& JANET
HE " BERRY
S O U R C E I L
80X
PFA 5R
VERBAL
ADI O
OTNER
ADDRESS
ROOM APT NO
CITY
ZIP
TELEPHONE NO.
10441 Castine Avenue
Cupertino
(CALL 9ACF)
253-4315
OWNER NAME
ADDRESS
CITY
ZIP
TELEPHONE NO
JANET HELEN BERRY
10441 Castine
Avenue, Cupertino
244-8500 (work)
MANAGER NAME
ADDRESS
CITY
21P
TELEPHONE NO
B. PROPERTY CLASSIFICATION
CODE TYPE OF INCIDENT I CONSTR :..ATE
PRE '2 PO,1 71
1 , 1 Building fire I PX1 2
CODE PROPERTY CLASSIFICA-ION (CO',PLEX)
I I
CODE PROPERTY CLASSIFICATION (INDIVIDI)AL)
4 1 1 Dwelling
DISCOVERED BY
DIANA LYNN WEIM, TP 255-1151
REPORTED BY
Same
IRESPONSSISLUS ECTS
ACTION TAKEN
C. PROPERTY TYPE
PPOPERTY MANAGEMENT
PVT FED (TAIL COJNT, CITY DISTRICT FOREIGN OTHER
, 11 2 n IF -1 4 1 `M 6 n 7 B
CODE STRUCTURE, 9UILDING OR VEHICLE - PROPERTY TYPE BUILDING
NO. STORIES
_lj Building, single occupancy 1
STRUCTURE BUILDING OR VEHICLE - CONSTRUCTION TYPE
EMT WALL INT. HALL FLOOR ROOF FIRE RATED
N C OMB N C C ti+B CO B N
Z C 4 9 N C 6 7 IES8
E. LOCATION & CAUSE
CODE
AREA OF ORIGIN
LEVEL OF ORIGIN
1
0
Il 1 Ground floor
CODE
Plastic
SOURCE OF HEAT CAUSING IGNITION
9
8
1 No equipment
CODE
MAIN AVENUES SMOKE SPREAD
FORM OF HEAT CAUSING IGNITION
4
5
Match
CODE
ACT OR OI4ISSI014 CAt151NG IGNITION
2
3
Suspicious Act, juvenile
F. AREA. MATERIALS & SMOKE SPREAD G. SPREAD OF FIRE
CODE
AREA OF ORIGIN
4 ?
1 Garage
CODE
TYPE OF MATERIAL FIRST Ir.NITED
4
Plastic
CODE
FORM OF MATERIAL FIRST I,NITED
4
Toy game
CODE
MAIN AVENUES SMOKE SPREAD
CODE
MAIN AVENUES FIRE SPREAD
CODE
TYPE MATERIAL CAUSING SPREAD
CODE
FORM MATERIAL CAUSING SPREAD
CODE
ACT OR OMISSION CAUSING SPREAD
J. MISCELLANEOUS
FIREFIGHTER CIVILIANS PHOTOS FOLDER AG NCIE5 NOTIFIED
N0. INJUPED NO OF OEATNS N0. INJURED NO. OF DEATHS
Yes
DATE TIME INVESTIGATED INVESTIGATED BY
2 10/19/74. 2310 hour DFM Alfred A. Smith
Inmrance Inforration: State Farm Insurance, Mr. Marvin Clawson, 1212 Burlingame Avenue,
Burlingame, California, TP 344-2541.
SAB:pg
aes Central Fire District
TO RECORDS CENTER - 2 YEARS
DESTROY 10 YEARS
An Fgwl OpporbA tly 600110raf
Alarms No. 5130
Persons Interviewedi
1. JANET HELEN BERRY
.12. DIANA LYNN WEIKEL (dob 7/19/62), 10401 Castine Avenue, Cupertino, TP 255-1151
✓ 3. GERALD McOORNICL COOLEY (dob 9/13/41), 10421 Castine Avenue, Cupertino, TP 255-0383
./4. MRS. PEM DUPIN, 10411 Castine Avenue, Cupertino, TP 257-8310
5. MRS. SHARON Ste, 10461 Castine Avenue, Cupertino, TP 251-0440
6. MR. & MRS. -JAMES SHALE'S, 21295 Rumford Drive, Cupertino, TP 255-3036
,/7. CHAD BRANDON SHALES (5 years old) - RESPONSIBLE
� 8. WILLIAM JAMES BEW (dob 2/26/64) - RESPONSIBLE
SUMMARY
10/19/74, 2310 hours. Arrived on the scene of the fire at the above location.
Members of the Central Fire District personnel were completing extinguishment of the
fire. NOTE: SDFM HAROLD :.'TALKER assisted in the investigation.
The fire occurred in the garage and involved three areas: 1) the toy of a wooden
toy box approximately 2 feet above the floor, 2) an object on the top of a table
beside the toy box against the west wall of the garage and 3) a sheet of 1/4 inch
plywood which was covered with squares of carpeting and attached to the wall above
and next to the work bench and toy box. It was noted that the underside of the
table showed no evidence of being involved in the fire. It further appeared that
the fire originated in a cardboard box of parts for an H.O. gauge train which was
located in the garage. Photographs were taken of the fire scene.
The owner, MRS. JANET BERRY, was then interviewed. The interview was somewhat
frustrated by the excited and possibly inebriated state of the dwelling occupants.
M.S. BERRY was somewhat defensive of her children making such remarks as "I don't
see how it could have been anything but a deliberate fire and you just don't
know my children." Although an exhaustive interview to obtain the information
necessary to conduct a complete interview was not possible, the following outline
of events was compiled. The fire was noticed by the discovering and reporting
party from the sidewalk. DIANA ran to her home to report the fire by telephone
then returned to the scene to alert the occupants who had just become aware of
the fire. The fire itself was extinguished primarily by adults in the neighborhood
with a garden hose.
Further interviews were to be conducted at a later date. See supp,ementary
report.
AAS:pg
A�,
D114 Alfred A. Smith
W
lii1M'! 'm: P -"4 -M
Alam Ma. 8130
10/20/74. Received a telephone ca11 from a MRS. GEWD 0001M advising that they
had found some wooden matches between her residence and the BERRY residence located
just north of her home. I contacted MR. & MRS. COOLEY at their residence and picked
up some wooden matches which had been burned and tossed in the bushes next to the
garage leading into the BEMI 'S residence. The matches were from the GINZA HOTEL
in Tokyo and consisted of approximately seven burned wooden matches and two unburned
and broken matches as well as the matchbox, which were all found in the bushes just
outside the gate of the BERR3(IS residence. While talking to NR. & MRS. COOLEY, it
was determined that MZ. DUPIN, the house south of theirs, had and does take trips
to Japan. There was no one hose at the DUPIN residence on this date, 10'20/74.
10/21/74, 1210 hours. Contacted MBS. PENNY DUPIN at 10411 Castine Avenue,
Oupertino. MBS. VMW could not identify the matches, however, advised me that
ISR. JAMES SHALES who lived at the corner house had returned home from Japan on
Wednesday evening. I also leerned that the SHALES had three children, a 10
year old, a 5 year old ani a 31 year old.
I contacted VM. SHALE$ at her residence and after considerable interviews
with her and later with her son, GORDON, at the elementary school, I requested
permission to talk to CHAD, her ,5 year old son. CWAD advised me that he had taken
the matches from their kitchen above the stove. He had also taken some cardboard
from outside near the garage and had gone down and met with BILLY BERRY where they
had played with matches on the date of the fire. His timing as to what time they
were at the garage lighting matches was unclear, however, he thought it was
sometime after 1700 hours on 10/19,/74. He said that they had set cardboard on
fire in the garage and also outside of zhe garage next to the entrance into the
garage. They also had extinguished the fire with a pan of water from the BERRY
residence. CHAD advised me that both he and BILLY lit matches both inside and
outside the garage.
Contacted WILLIAM JAIL i BERRY and his mother at their residence. WILLIAM
BEMIS date of birth is 2/26/64. *ten questioned regarding the above information,
WILLIAM admitted that he and CHAD had played with matches in the garage and outside
the garage. He said that CHAD brought a book of matches with some fancy coloring
and he believed from Japan to his residence. Also he brought some old cardboard
which he had picked up from the yard of the SHALE residence. They had set the
cardboard on fire a number of times and extinguished same. They then extinguished
one of the fires with a pan of water that WILLIAM took from the kitchen of the
BERRY residence. WILLIAM believed that the fires were completely out when they
discontinued playing. He also told me that he felt that the fires they had started
were sometime between 1500 and 1630 hours on the afternoon of 10/19/74. WILLIAM
aiao told me that the cardboard box where the fire originated had been a depot
for an H.O. train not as well as a bridge also for his train set. He said that
this was new equipaent still packaged in a box and that CHAD had opened the box
and looked in when they were lighting matches.
It is believed that some smoldering cardboard was placed next to or in the
cardboard box causing a smoldering fire in the plastic, which eventually erupted
into open flame. Both children were referred to their parents. No further action
was taken. No prior record on the two responsibles was revealed upon checking the
M files.
G•
MPC
staltrer•
F-74/5-200
Al arm No. 8130
Page 2 - Supplement
The neighbors have requested that the Centra Fire District and this office
discuss fire prevention techniques within the :iome as well as giving them a
"run down" on the fire which occurred earlier on Castire Avenue as wel' as the
fire on 10,19/74. This is being taken care of by this Officer •and D,'C PAYNE of
Central Fire District.
No further action taken.
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