Firefighters battled a brush fire on the side of Interstate 680, close to several homes in San Jose Wednesday.
The fire started on the vegetation on the side of the freeway then spread to a condominium complex on the 600 block of Easton Drive at around 1:45 p.m., firefighters said.
"I went out, we saw the smoke here," said Orlando Macarenas, who grabbed a hose to help his neighbors keep flames away from their houses.
Firefighters and neighbors managed to knock it down within 30 minutes and without losing any homes.
"There were a few sheds on fire which we were able to knock down and control pretty quickly," said San Jose Fire Department Captain Sergio Arellano.
Hard-working fire crews say they appreciate the help of those who grabbed hoses.
"Absolutely it's very helpful, because you want to protect your property, right? So we do appreciate that, but at the end of the day we want to make sure the public is safe, and we want to protect life and property," said Arellano.
Local
No injuries were reported and no houses were damaged.
Traffic resumed normally around 5 p.m.
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