PHOTO: Home Depot is paying $1.3 million in fines after an investigation revealed fire code violations following an arson that burned a South San Jose store to the ground, prosecutors said.
Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen's office announced the fine against the hardware giant Monday, which followed an investigation by the DA's office and the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives into the 2022 fire that destroyed the store on Blossom Hill Road.
"Fire code violations are potential tragedies in waiting. Ignoring them isn't just risky; it's reckless. It risks far more than property. It risks lives," Rosen said in a statement.
On April 9, 2022, a man trying to steal tools set a fire in the store. The fire quickly spread, destroying the 98,827 square foot store, causing an estimated $17 million in inventory loss.