I get the willies* when I go by 1009 W. San Carlos at Lincoln and see Coconut Willie’s. It has looked like this since August 15th of 2004. A two-alarm fire shut down the cocktail lounge when it suffered an estimated $650,000 in damages. Back then the San Jose Fire Department offered a $500 reward for information. Has that amount been adjusted for inflation?

It was reported that then owner Ron Lucatelli would reopen within 6 months. I would be interested in knowing if Mr. Lucatelli still owns the property; if so does he have plans to rebuild. My attempts to reach Mr. Lucatelli have gone unanswered. Is the City of San Jose OK with this mess?

*willies - 1896, “spell of nervousness,” perhaps from the woollies,

This morning I stopped by 20705 Valley Green Dr. Building Six to get a look at the fire damage and hopefully speak with someone. There wasn’t much to see unless you count all the TV news trucks and one photographer from the Merc. I did try talking with Apple security, but his lips were sealed. Clean-up crews were on site as was a construction contractor.

Apple Set

All employees were evacuated without harm as firefighters brought a three-alarm fire at Apple’s Cupertino campus under control. The fire on Valley Green Drive was reported just after 10pm Tuesday night.

I’m not sure of the details, but the fire department was out at two locations just two blocks away from each other this afternoon. First I saw them at 11th and Jackson Streets, apparently mopping up after a fire in an RV parked in the street. Then at 13th Street they were cleaning up after another incident, although I didn’t see any damaged building or vehicle.

We went to Oregon last weekend. On the way up, we saw the lightning storm and on the way back we had to drive through the fire. Could barely see what was ahead of us, the visibility was so poor.We have a filter going on inside our apartment and keep all the windows closed. If I spend too much time outside, I start coughing and my eyes get really itchy. According to some of the news reports I’ve been hearing on the radio, I’m not the only one. Heard that there was going to be more dry lightning storms over the next few days so be prepared! Oh, and the lake at Mount Shasta is drying out. It’s such a depressing sight. 

As the Santa Cruz fire rages on, animal services wants to remind everyone who needs to evacuate to bring along their animals. Anyone who needs help with evacuating their pets or needs a place to keep their animals can call 831-454-7303. Animal shelters are also stepping up and accepting any small animal (cats, dogs, rabbits, birds, etc.) that needs a temporary home.

Donations, supplies, volunteers, and fosters are greatly appreciated at this time.

Find more information here.

This morning I checked my Gmail, took a quick look at Metroblogging San Jose, and then glanced at MercuryNews.com. What caught my eye was the story about a house fire near White and McKee Roads.

I lived in that neighborhood in the early 70s, and as I read the article it brought a flood of memories. The house that is now destroyed had belonged to one of my neighbors. Though Mr. Tanner, the gentleman who lived there, and I never spoke he would always wave as I passed by with my young son.

Mr. Tanner had a presence, an easy self-assurance that could be felt on our streets. I had heard rumors that he had been a policeman, but I didn’t know the rest of the story…Francis Carl Tanner Jr., was the first black police officer in San Jose, and from what I have now learned, one of the best. We moved across town in 1979 and I didn’t hear of Officer Tanner’s death in 1991.

This morning, standing in front of the Tanner home, my thoughts were with Mr. Tanner’s wife and daughter during this tragedy.

Tony, one of our readers, asked a couple of questions regarding the smoke in our area and why the sun appears red.

His question, “it all started today like around 5;30. Outside looked really foggy or smoky i should say. i figured it was because of the fire in morgan hill. but turns out its from a fire in the sierra?? but why was it so much? but i heard somewhere that if theres a big fire the sunset would be really good.but turned out that the sun was the most eye catching. IT WAS RED! like blood.! it looked awesome and i was wondering why??”

Well Tony, I’m hearing mixed reports on the cause of the smoke here in our area. Smoke from a fire in Plumas County (18,500 acres) has been caught up by winds moving south. Along with the Lick fire, (14,000 acres) burning in Santa Clara County, we may be seeing and breathing the effects of both fires.

Sun through the smoke; it looks red.
This is caused by a phenomenon called Rayleigh scattering. It happens when light waves interact with particles, like smoke, smaller than the wavelength of the light. Our eyes see light of different wavelengths and our brains label it in colors. (Isaac Newton understood it, so I don’t need to.)

It is important to protect your eyes against damage from the Sun, even when viewing through the smoke. Never look at the Sun directly, sunglasses do not work, because you may damage your eyes permanently.

South San Jose will see a brand spanking NEW fire station, scheduled to be fully operational by October 1st 2007. The new 12,000sq-ft station is being constructed with the same style and look of downtown San Jose’s Fire Station No1 and is located on Poughkeepsie Rd between Cottle Rd. and Blossom Hill Rd near Wells Fargo Bank. The new two-story Fire Station 35 will sports 3 bay doors, a hose tower, gear/uniform rooms, dorms, kitchen, landscaped exterior courtyard, and more. The structure is built to the latest earthquake-proof code and will include emergency backup generators to ensure operations in times of disaster. Fire Station 35 will initially start as a single (one) Engine Co. with a 4 person truck along with other support vehicles. Future plans include upgrading to a 2nd Engine Co. and Battalion Chief….date yet to be announced. This project is being paid for by the tax payers who voted yes on “Measure O“.

If you have a hard time remembering things then make an extra effort to remember this: Firefighters are some of the most courageous people on earth. Anyone willing to run into a burning or collapsed building to save “my” sorry-ass, has and will forever receive my fullest support. You’re a bunch of Bad-Asses….welcome to the neighborhood!

Whew! What’s that smell? Walking outside of my place in Willow Glen yesterday it smelled as though something very close was on fire. It was a shock to find that it was in fact coming from a huge plume of smoke rising from the south-east hills near Henry Coe State Park. It looked like something from Metroblogging Los Angeles, not San Jose.

Firefighters are having a difficult time dealing with the terrain and 5,200 acres have already scummed to the out-of-control flames dubbed “The Lick Fire.”