Firefighters on Monday were keeping a close eye on the charred rubble of a Home Depot store in South San Jose that was gutted by a five-alarm fire over the weekend.
Debris trapped under the store's fallen roof is creating some flare-ups that crews are monitoring, fire officials said.
Investigators are also at the scene Monday to determine a cause of the blaze, according to the San Jose Fire Department.
The fire was reported about 5:30 p.m. Saturday near the lumber supply at the store, located at 920 Blossom Hill Road. A fifth alarm was called shortly after 6 p.m., as about 100 firefighters were called to battle the blaze. Customers and employees escaped the fire safely, fire officials said.
The fire was under control nearly six hours later, at at 11:44 p.m. Fire officials said Sunday night that they are investigating whether two nearby fires spotted by a helicopter crew were connected to the blaze.
About 45 residents in 15 homes on El Lisa Drive, behind the home improvement supply store, were evacuated while the fire was being fought. The residents were allowed back late Saturday.
The fire also prompted a shelter in place order for residents in area, to seek shelter indoors with windows and doors closed to minimize exposure to smoke. The shelter in place was lifted on Sunday at 12:30 p.m. after the fire department's hazardous incident team determined, through testing, that the air quality was no longer a concern.
Officials said Sunday evening that animals from a nearby vet hospital were safely evacuated, and a reunification site was set up at the nearby Golfland for pet owners. Any remaining animals were at San Jose Animal Care Center Sunday evening.
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