A large temple in San Jose was burned down.

Early on January 5th (local time), firefighters in San Jose, California, received a report of a large, dangerous fire at the Duyen Giac Temple, a major temple that had previously caught fire in 2024, reaching alert level 3.

Firefighters are working to extinguish the fire at Duyen Giac Pagoda.

Photo: San Jose Fire Department

KRON4 reported on January 5th, citing information from the San Jose Fire Department, that firefighters were deployed at 5:37 AM that day to respond to a fire at Duyen Giac Temple, a large Buddhist temple serving the Vietnamese community in the city.

Upon arrival, authorities discovered a raging and spreading fire, forcing them to immediately raise their response level to alert level three, the necessary to control a large blaze. They had to cordon off several roads to ensure safety and facilitate rescue efforts.

Firefighters said no one was inside the temple when the fire broke out, and no injuries have been reported.

During the firefighting operation, they discovered that a section of the roof had collapsed, raising concerns about the structural safety of the building, which had not been fully restored after the major fire in 2024.

Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) also confirmed that there was an unexpected power outage affecting households near the fire area.

By late morning, fire officials said they had cleared the scene and reopened the affected roads after ensuring safety.

The fire on January 5th marked the second major fire at Duyen Giac Pagoda in less than two years. On May 13th, 2024, a level three fire was also recorded, causing serious damage to the pagoda and forcing those living inside to evacuate.

Before the fire, Duyen Giac Temple was a religious and community center for Vietnamese Buddhists in San Jose and the Silicon Valley area. Vietnamese Americans are one of the largest Asian communities in Santa Clara County, California.

Buddhist temples like Duyen Giac Pagoda are not only places of worship, but also serve as cultural centers, teaching Vietnamese and providing other social services.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/chua-lon-o-san-jose-bi-thieu-rui-185260106180111874.htm