The Cathedral park Fire of 2025

Santa Clara County Fire – Weed Abatement. They inspect and enforce removal of fire-risk vegetation. To report hazards, call (408) 282‑3145 or email weedabatement@sccgov.org

June 23, 2025 :

Today at 2:30 p.m., our backyard nearly achieved full flambé status when a fire broke out in Cathedral Park — just over the hill from our house, where the majestic Cathedral Oak stands like a flammable monument to bureaucratic failure.

Gina was home alone, peacefully reading in the backyard like any fire-hating Californian would do on a dry, windy June afternoon. That peaceful calm was rudely interrupted by the familiar scent of smoke — déjà vu, anyone? Yep, this happened before — on June 8, 2016, when some kids lit up more than just a joint up by the Oak. This time, though, no kids. Just a flaming tractor and a flaming hill.

Thank God for our incredible neighbors—Tom and Kunau grabbed hoses like seasoned firefighters and fought back the flames as they danced over the fence line. We seriously have the best neighbors on the planet, and I appreciate them more than I can put into words. Enter neighborhood MVP: Tom. Our friend. Our hose-wielding hero. He sprinted over, garden hose in hand, to defend our fence from ten-foot flames like a suburban fire samurai. Give that man a medal. Or at least a six-pack. And Kunau was hosing down my Vinyard like it was the last bottle of wine in world. He saved it from total destruction. Also my hero.

Meanwhile, my panicked wife sprang into action. She evacuated the cars—possibly clipping something on the way out—and managed to save both vehicles and her purse. Everything else? Left to fend for itself inside the house. Honestly, I can’t blame her—I wouldn’t have known what to grab either. She’s been shaken up ever since, and I don’t blame her one bit. It was a terrifying, surreal experience that left us both rattled.

Meanwhile, I was doing something equally noble: playing pickleball. Nothing kills a heated pickleball rally quite like an emergency call from your iWatch alerting you that your house is on fire. For a split second, I thought my backyard golf simulator had finally short-circuited and declared war on the lawn.

I bolted from The Hub, phone buzzing with texts from my buddies: “You okay?”, “Your house is on the news!”, and my personal favorite: “Is the golf simulator safe?”

Now here’s where the comedy morphs into stupidity: the fire was started by… wait for it… the tractor that was sent to prevent fire by clearing brush. You can’t make this up. We had asked Santa Clara Fire Abatement to mow that hill a month ago, in early June — when it was already brown and screaming “Burn me!” Instead, they scheduled it for July. Because, you know, wildfires politely wait until they’re on the calendar.

So here we are again, praying that next year someone at the county learns how to read a weather report and a calendar. June = crispy. Cut the grass. It’s not hard.

We live in California, home of the highest taxes in the nation, where our reward is fire season powered by water mismanagement and fire abatement done by arson tractors. If this is “fire safety,” I’d hate to see what negligence looks like.

Huge thanks to the San Jose Fire Department, who actually showed up and saved our home — unlike Santa Clara, who will now no doubt issue a heartfelt statement about their “robust and proactive fire safety program.”

Until next time… if there is a next time. And yes, the golf simulator is fine. Priorities.

Burn Notice (Santa Clara Fire Rap)
(Verse 1)
Yo, you’d think we learned from them L.A. flames,
But here we are again, still playin’ them games.
Waitin’ too long, then shiftin’ the blame,
On global warmin’ while the hills go up in flame.

Three weeks back, I made that call,
Said the hill’s high, brown, ’bout to fall.
June winds whippin’, danger’s legit,
All they said was, “Yeah, we’ll calendar it.”

But history ain’t hidin’, it’s loud and plain,
June 9th, ’16 — same spark, same pain.
So why you clearin’ brush in July’s heat?
When June’s the real monster creepin’ up the street?

(Hook)
🎶 Santa Clara Fire Abatement — where you at?
Droppin’ the ball, that’s a cold hard fact.
Flames at the fence, but we stood our ground,
‘Cause San Jose fire came and shut it down.
Station 28, yeah, they ride with pride,
While bad planning got us nearly fried. 🎶

(Verse 2)
Irony thick — it was your own machine,
That lit the match on that dry ravine.
You set the fire tryna stop the blaze,
Now your plan got folks in a smokey haze.

It’s more than homes, it’s lives at stake,
Can’t gamble with fire when the wind’s awake.
Protect the people? Man, that’s your role,
Not just clip a check and lose control.

Props to the crew that showed up fast,
Held the line, didn’t let it blast past.
But next time maybe plan with your head,
So we ain’t thankin’ heroes while countin’ the dead.