The TV studio at 645 Park Avenue in San Jose is no more. The building that once housed San Francisco Bay Area station KNTV when it was an ABC affiliate, then an independent station, was gutted yesterday by a five alarm fire.
The building near downtown San Jose had been abandoned since 2004 and sat across the street from the San Jose Fire Department’s training facility. It opened its doors in 1955.
The fire started around 3:00 p.m. yesterday. According to the San Jose Mercury News, two people, “apparently homeless individuals” safely escaped the building when firefighters arrived.
Former employees took to facebook to post pictures of the fire and remember the building where many of them started their careers. David Lee, now news director for Tallahassee’s WTXL, was a sports anchor at the station in the 90s. He wrote, “Hate to see it go down like the Red Wings did the first time the Sharks made the playoffs!!! Lots of memories and friends.”
“This is the old KNTV studio .. On fire,” wrote current KNTV reporter Scott Budman who posted a picture of the fire on facebook. “Lots of good memories there. Hope everyone nearby is safe.”
You can watch KNTV video of former anchor Maggi Scura remembering the building after the jump.