One floor burns, apartment damaged in fire at downtown Fresno high-rise office building

One floor of the Pacific Southwest building in downtown Fresno was damaged Sunday afternoon along with an apartment in a fire that was doused with the help of the high-rise’s sprinkler system.

The building was evacuated and the intersection of Mariposa and Fulton streets blocked off, with multiple engines on scene around the Fulton Mall after an alarm was triggered about 4 p.m.

Flames were limited to the 14th floor, according to the Fresno Fire Department, an area used for storage. But one apartment below the fire did sustain water damage.

The intersection was opened at around 8 p.m. No injuries were reported. The cause of the fire remained under investigation.

Although not immediately visible to spectators outside, flames were observed by the first firefighters on the scene coming from the roof and in a stairwell.

The building’s sprinkler system extinguished most of the fire, according to the Fire Department.

One woman had to use the exterior stairwell fire escape on the side of the building, Fresno Fire Deputy Chief Ted Semonious said.

“That’s a difficult task for anyone to do,” Semonious said. “ It’s made of metal and hard to use but also it’s outside, 13 floors up.”

The woman was able to make it to the ground floor safely.

The Pacific Southwest Building is the tallest building between Los Angeles and San Francisco, according to its website. The 16-story high rise was originally built in 1925.

It contains a mix of collaborative workspace, traditional offices, loft living and a ballroom for special events, weddings and conferences.

There was no word on how many people were in the building at the time of the alarm.

This story was originally published June 6, 2021 at 5:33 PM.