Two-alarm house fire knocked down in San Jose

SAN JOSE (KGO) -- Arson investigators are sifting through debris from a two-alarm fire in the carport next to a San Jose four-plex. They flames damaged several cars and threatened to spread to a nearby home.

Residents are still being kept out of their homes until power can be restored. What's left behind is a mess, but thankfully no one was hurt.

Fires at 3:28 in the morning are never good. People are sleeping and property and lives are vulnerable. That was especially true at this carport fire in West San Jose at the corner of Galli Court and Weyburn Lane.

"I heard all this popping going, all this really loud popping. I thought someone was hitting the garbage cans or something. I didn't know what was going on. So, I looked out the window and there was a fire was going on. Flames were shooting out at least 10 feet," said Carol Barlick, neighbor.

The 10 or so people living in this four-plex were lucky a friend of Nitin Pokhryal just had a baby. Pokhryal would normally be sleeping like everyone else, but he paid a late night visit to the hospital to celebrate the new life and returned in time to be a hero.

"He did everything right, you know he was parking his car, he noticed a little smoke. Wasn't quite sure what he was seeing yet and then he saw flames and that's when he, you know, 'oh my god the car's on fire.' And then he called 911 at 3:28 and as soon as he hung up with 911. He knocked on all the doors and woke everyone up," said San Jose Fire Captain Fernando Munoz.

"You know if you knock on anybody's door they are in a deep sleeping and they are shouting 'what!' and I said 'There is a fire in your carport come out!" said Pokhryal.

The fire destroyed three cars. One apartment suffered water damage but Pokhrya's quick thinking and the firefighters quick work on the flames kept this from becoming a real tragedy.

"Yeah, hopefully they are good," said Pokhrya.

Investigators are looking into the cause of the fire.