Tragedy Strikes Twice: San Jose Buddhist Temple Destroyed by Second Major Fire in Two Years
For San Jose's Asian diaspora communities, places of worship are far more than buildings — they are living archives of culture, memory, and belonging, which makes the repeated destruction of Chua Duyen Giac all the more devastating.
🔥 Owner Fears for Ancestral Ashes as Temple Faces Total Loss
San Jose firefighters responded to a three-alarm fire early on a Monday morning at Chua Duyen Giac, a two-story mixed-use Buddhist temple on the 90 block of Foss Avenue. The blaze broke out at approximately 5:37 a.m., with the rear of the structure fully involved and threatening neighboring homes, though crews successfully contained the fire. No one was inside at the time and no injuries were reported, but fire crews determined the temple — which had not yet passed final inspection following repairs from a 2024 fire — was a total loss. The temple's owner expressed deep concern about recovering the ashes of his ancestors stored within the structure, yet stated his intention to rebuild the temple, which has served the Vietnamese community since 1990. [3]
🏚️ Partial Roof Collapse Adds to the Devastation on Foss Avenue
ABC7 Bay Area reported that the three-alarm fire at the Buddhist temple on the 90 block of Foss Avenue caused a partial roof collapse, compounding the structural damage to the building. Firefighters were dispatched at around 5:37 a.m., and traffic along Foss Avenue was closed while emergency crews worked the scene, with the public urged to stay away from the area. The report noted that a previous three-alarm fire had struck the same temple on May 13, 2024, displacing people and leaving the building badly damaged at that time, with one person hospitalized for smoke inhalation during that earlier incident. [4]
🚒 KTVU Confirms Second Three-Alarm Emergency at Same San Jose Temple
KTVU FOX 2 confirmed that San Jose firefighters battled a three-alarm blaze at the Buddhist temple on Foss Avenue, adding regional broadcast coverage to an incident that drew significant public attention. The fire mirrored in severity the earlier 2024 blaze that had already heavily damaged the same structure, raising serious questions about the building's vulnerability. The repeated destruction of this single place of worship underscores the precarious situation facing the congregation as it confronts the prospect of rebuilding for a second time. [5]
⛩️ KQED: A Community's Sacred Space Reduced to Rubble Once More
KQED's coverage framed the destruction of the San Jose Buddhist temple as a profound community loss, highlighting that the structure was destroyed after suffering a second major fire within the span of two years. The outlet emphasized the significance of the temple to those who relied on it as a spiritual and cultural anchor, situating the story within the broader context of what such sacred spaces mean to immigrant communities in the Bay Area. The loss represents not only a physical structure but also the irreplaceable cultural and spiritual heritage housed within it. [8]
Sources: [3] NBC Bay Area · [4] ABC7 Bay Area · [5] KTVU · [8] KQED