Investigators found that the fire code violations were not isolated to a single Home Depot store: Between 2018 and 2023, the 13 other Home Depot stores across Santa Clara County had been issued notices of fire code violations.

Prosecutors said the April 9 fire that destroyed $14 million worth of merchandise in a Home Depot store on Blossom Hill Road was deliberately set by a man stealing power tools who is now in custody facing arson and theft charges.

San Jose fire officials reported that no one was injured in the fire, the fire appeared to have started in the lumber area of the store and the cause of the fire was not suspicious.

The five-alarm fire, which began around 5pm and was first reported by the San Jose Fire Department on Twitter at 6:11pm, threatened nearby businesses, resulting in the evacuation of animals from an adjacent pet hospital, and shelter-in-place orders for residents and workers in the vicinity of the mall.

In an email to constituents, Mayor Sam Liccardo summed up his first 100 days in office, which were marked by public ceremonies, new spending plans, partnerships and, just last month, a tragedy that shook the city.