Grief and Resilience: San Jose Buddhist Temple Destroyed in Second Major Fire Within Two Years

For San Jose's Vietnamese and broader Asian community, a house of worship is far more than a building — it is a keeper of ancestry, memory, and shared faith, making the latest tragedy at Chua Duyen Giac especially painful.

🔥 Three-Alarm Blaze Strikes Again

San Jose firefighters were called to the 90 block of Foss Avenue just before 5:37 a.m. on a Monday to battle a three-alarm fire at Chua Duyen Giac, a large two-story mixed-use Buddhist temple. The blaze caused a partial roof collapse, and traffic along Foss Avenue was shut down while crews worked the scene. Fortunately, no one was inside at the time and no injuries were reported. The fire was particularly devastating because the same temple had already suffered a serious three-alarm blaze on May 13, 2024, which had displaced people and left the building badly damaged. [3]

🏚️ Temple Declared a Total Loss

Fire crews confirmed that the temple, which had not yet passed its final inspection following reconstruction after the 2024 fire, is considered a total loss. The back of the structure was fully involved and threatened neighboring homes before crews managed to contain the fire. The temple's owner, speaking with media off camera, expressed deep concern about recovering ancestral ashes stored inside. Despite the devastating loss, he stated his intention to rebuild the temple, which has served San Jose's Vietnamese community since 1990. [6]

🚒 A Second Blow to a Cherished Worship Site

KTVU Fox 2 reported on the three-alarm fire at the Buddhist temple on Foss Avenue in San Jose, noting that the structure had already been heavily damaged in a prior blaze. Fire crews responded to a fully involved building and worked to prevent the fire from spreading to surrounding properties. The incident underscored the vulnerability of the aging structure, which had been in the process of being restored. The temple's repeated misfortune has drawn widespread attention from the broader Bay Area community. [4]

🕯️ A Community Mourns, and Plans to Rise Again

KQED provided detailed coverage of the destruction of Chua Duyen Giac, describing it as the second major fire to strike the temple within two years. The temple holds deep spiritual and cultural significance for its Vietnamese congregation, functioning as a community anchor for decades. Fire officials indicated the building was not salvageable, compounding the loss felt by worshippers who had already watched it burn once before. The owner's resolve to rebuild reflects the enduring spirit of a community determined not to let tragedy erase its sacred spaces. [8]

Sources: [3] ABC7 Bay Area · [6] NBC Bay Area · [4] KTVU · [8] KQED