Firefighters respond to three morning fires. Two people, one dog injured at one

Fresno firefighters were busy fighting fires early Monday morning. Three people were displaced by one of those house fires in east-central Fresno.

The first fire was at a vacant central Fresno home on Fresno Street and Tyler Avenue just before 3 a.m. There were no reports of injuries.

Just an hour later, 31 firefighters responded to a second blaze at an east-central Fresno home on North Rowell and East Home avenues, Fresno Fire Department spokesman Robert Castillo said.

The residents at the home were initially alerted about the fire by a smoke detector, which wasn’t mounted on a ceiling, according to Castillo. Firefighters described a unique living situation at the home. Castillo said three people were sleeping in the outside backyard of the home, and three were inside. Another person was asleep in the front yard and firefighters stepped over him a few times when they arrived, Castillo said.

Investigators believe the fire started in a bedroom of the roughly 1,500-square-feet home. Castillo said two people and a dog were treated on scene for minor burns. The three people who lived in the home were displaced; the Red Cross was assisting.

The cause of the east-central Fresno fire is under investigation. The incident left an estimated $30,000 in damage, Castillo said.

Fresno firefighters responded to a third fire by 9 a.m. in Fresno County, near North Avenue and Trinity Avenue west of Kerman. There were no reported injuries, Castillo said.

The home that burned was described as a 1930s farm-style residence that should have been vacant. But Castillo said fire crews found evidence that someone was staying at the home, though nobody was found on site. A generator was discovered. The home was a total loss, Castillo said.

This story was originally published January 14, 2019 at 9:39 AM.