Sixteen apartments damaged as blaze at Fresno complex triggers large fire response
Sixteen apartments were damaged and dozens of residents potentially displaced after a fire Sunday at a complex in the Sunnyside area, triggering a three-alarm call-out by the Fresno Fire Department.
The agency, given its major commitment to the fire, for a time suspended its response to any new medical aid calls until “adequate resources become available.”
The blaze was reported about 4:40 p.m. at the Oakbrook Apartments in the 300 block of South Argyle Avenue, near Kings Canyon Road and Clovis Avenue.
Crews arrived and saw the fire on the patio of a second-story unit, Battalion Chief Bob Camp said.
Firefighters were able to knock down the fire outside the unit quickly, Camp said, but flames spread to the attic. Fire and smoke damage was reported to six units; another 10 sustained water damage.
No injuries were reported.
Gusty winds were a contributing factor in the fire’s spread, according to Camp. Wind alerts were issued throughout the Valley by the National Weather Service and the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District over the weekend.
It was not known how many people would need to arrange temporary housing, but about 38 reached out to the Red Cross for help, Camp said.
The fire appears to be accidental in nature, according to the Fire Department, but no other details on the cause were available.
The “three-alarm” designation is an indication that many vehicles and firefighters responded, putting stress even on a fire department that, according to its website, has 289 sworn firefighting personnel including 81 firefighters on duty each day in the city.
One engine, Engine 13, was “moved from its home station near Nees and Bond and will be covering Station 1 near Maple and Olive until the 3rd alarm fire is under control.”
A day earlier, the Fire Department recapped what had been a hectic April.
“Fresno Fire finished April having fought 678 fires,” it tweeted amid a response to another apartment fire Saturday, “an all-time record for the department.”
This story was originally published May 2, 2021 at 7:01 PM.