CA Man Charged In Home Depot Fire That Sent People Fleeing

SAN JOSE, CA — A San Jose man was charged with arson in a fire that destroyed a Home Depot during business hours last week, sending millions of employees and customers fleeing from the building.

Dyllin Jaycruz Gogue, 27, was accused of intentionally lighting the blaze in an aisle of the Home Depot as he attempted to steal a cart full of tools from the Blossom Hill Road store on April 9, the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office said in a news release.

The fire erupted around 5:30 p.m. after Gogue was suspected to have stolen items from a local Bass Pro shop earlier that day. Prosectors said that Gogue attempted to escape from Home Depot with the cart full of tools, but he was stopped by an employee. He then fled in a persons car before extending his theft spree to a nearby Macy's, officers said.

Gogue was arrested with a warrant on Friday. He was charged with aggravated arson, seven counts of grand theft and three counts of petty theft, officials said.

The volatile fire sent "employees and customers running for their lives," according to the DA's statement.

“I am thankful to all the law enforcement partners who quickly brought this person to justice,” District Attorney Jeff Rosen said in a statement. “And I am thankful this was not a multiple murder case. This fire – set during business hours – could so easily have left bodies in the rubble. It was horribly reckless behavior, and we will prosecute him to the fullest extent of the law.”

The fire prompted a shelter in place order and the evacuation of nearby homes and businesses. All animals from a nearby vet hospital were also evacuated and taken to a reunification site at Golfland with assistance from the San José Animal Care Center.

By 6:08 p.m., the fire was deemed a fifth alarm fire as 100 firefighters fought to keep the blaze from spreading to other businesses in the strip-mall.

The Home Depot was destroyed and the air quality was deemed unhealthy by hazard crews.

The smoke could be seen billowing from the building from miles away. The heat signature of the blaze was also detected in space through the GOES West Meso Sector, the National Weather Service reported from its Bay Area office.

READ MORE: Massive CA Fire Seen From Space, Destroys Home Depot