A passerby called the fire department around 7 a.m. to report a fire at a two-story Victorian house in the 400 block of South Fifth Street, San Jose fire Capt. Scott Kouns said. The fire started on the first floor of the home.
Sixty-eight firefighters responded, and controlled the fire by 9 a.m.
Although there were no injuries, damage to the home is extensive, Kouns said. He estimated that the blaze caused $100,000 to $150,000 in damage to the home. Five residents were displaced.
Kouns said the neighborhood around Fifth and East William streets has been shut down and will stay closed until about 11 a.m.
The fire burned one block south of SJSU, but has not affected the campus or classes, university spokeswoman Pat Lopes-Harris said.
"The fire is on a street that's not a primary route for our students," Lopes-Harris said.
