Three overnight fires test Fresno firefighters | The Fresno Bee

A series of fires that broke out about 10 p.m. Thursday, including one that left a dozen people homeless, heavily taxed resources for Fresno firefighters and forced the department to halt medical responses for two hours, spokesman Hector Vasquez said Friday.

During the two hours while firefighters concentrated on the three blazes, persons experiencing medical emergencies relied on emergency medical technicians from American Ambulance without backup from the fire department, Vasquez said.

Firefighters began responding to fires about 10 p.m., when an apartment fire was reported on Clinton Avenue just east of First Street in central Fresno. About 35 firefighters sped to the blaze, which took about 20 minutes to contain. Vasquez said 12 people were displaced, although there were no injuries.

Minutes later, another alarm involving a roof on fire was called in from the 1100 block of West San Madele Avenue, near Palm and Barstow avenues in northwest Fresno. Vasquez said power lines were reported down in back yards in the area. It took about one hour to contain the blaze.

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At 10:46 p.m., firefighters were sent to the 100 block of South Jackson Avenue, near Maple and Huntington avenues in southeast Fresno, where a detached garage was fully involved in flames. It took about 20 minutes to contain that fire.

Vasquez said the three fires are under investigation.