San Jose police rushed animals at a neighboring pet hospital to safety during Home Depot fire
Thick smoke billowed from a San Jose Home Depot on Saturday, April 9 2022, prompting the store's evacuation as well as the evacuation of a pet hospital next door. San Jose police shared images taken from officers' body cameras. (San Jose Police Dept.)
SAN JOSE, Calif. - The emergency response to the massive fire at a San Jose Home Depot on Saturday was impressive as more than 100 of the city’s firefighters battled the blaze and multiple agencies offered support, including assisting in bringing both people and animals to safety.
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The blaze sent patrons and employees at the Home Depot, running for their lives to escape the fast moving flames. Fortunately, there were no reports of injuries.
And at an adjacent building that housed a pet hospital, police sprang into action to evacuate animals out of harm's way.
San Jose police shared still photos taken from officers' body cameras as they evacuated animals from a pet hospital and boarding facility next to Home Depot, where a massive 5-alarm fire broke out on Saturday, April 9, 2022.
The San Jose Police Department has since posted images of the animals being rescued, sharing still photos taken from officers’ body cameras.
The Wagly Veterinary Hospital and Blossom Hill Pet Campus said it was given minutes to evacuate.
The images from the body cams show how officers took the animals out of cages and ran them outdoors with dark plumes of smoke billowing behind them.
"Thanks to the swift action of Patrol Officers pets were united with relieved owners," police said on social media.
On Tuesday, Wagly remained evacuated. On its website, the pet hospital and daycare wrote, "We are saddened to announce that our San Jose location is temporarily closed due to being damaged by a neighboring fire. Thankfully no pet or person was harmed."
There was no word on when the site would reopen.
Fire officials continued to look into what caused the fire, which was first reported near Home Depot's lumber department.
Investigators said there was no indication that the fire was suspicious in nature.
Officials did note that a helicopter unit with the Santa Clara County Sheriff Office did observe two fires nearby at the time of the blaze.
SEE ALSO: Hot spots, flare-ups persist after Home Depot fire in San Jose
"It is not clear at this time whether those fires were connected in any way to the fire at Home Depot," officials said, adding they were investigating further.
It took more than six hours to bring the 5-alarm Home Depot fire under control.
A five-alarm fire ripped through San Jose's Home Depot on April 9, 2022
A five-alarm fire ripped through San Jose's Home Depot on April 9, 2022