Massive fire destroys construction site in Santa Clara, police release person of interest without charges

A massive blaze broke out Friday morning at a housing construction site in Santa Clara, destroying more than 50 partially built condos and injuring one worker, officials said.

Santa Clara firefighters responded around 11 a.m. to 1850 El Camino Real, where at least a dozen fire trucks were used to knock down the towering flames at Anantara Villas. Chunks of wood fell throughout the construction site and glass could be heard shattering as black smoke rose into the yellowed sky.

The exceptional heat coming off the complex, which sits just a couple hundred feet from an under-construction Chick-fil-A, a Holiday Inn Express and numerous homes, worried officials that the fire could spread. Homes on adjacent Clay and Pierce streets were evacuated, but the weather conditions and quick response prevented further damage.