Block of downtown Fresno buildings razed after suspicious fire causes heavy damage

Heavy machinery moved into downtown Fresno on Tuesday afternoon to quickly raze a long block of buildings after a suspicious, pre-dawn fire heavily damaged the structures.

The buildings are owned by developer Terance Frazier, who was at the scene Tuesday afternoon watching the demolition.

He said he had long-term plans to build housing on the street, but indicated he was not expecting an early morning call notifying him that the city was planning a quick demolition, the same day, or that he would have to come up with $200,000 to pay for it.

Frazier said he plans 196 housing units on the street.

The buildings on H and Inyo streets erupted in flames about 4 a.m. Tuesday.

Afterward, fire officials said the blaze made the buildings structurally unstable and dangerous, especially to traffic on H Street from Inyo to just north of Ventura Street. H Street was blocked in the area after the fire.

Battalion Chief Thomas Cope, at the scene of the fire Tuesday morning, said it appeared that homeless activity, a recurring problem inside the buildings, likely caused the fire. There was another fire at the structures in late May.

Frazier also blamed homeless occupants for the blaze.

“Police don’t show up, and when they do, they don’t arrest these people,” he said.

Frazier agreed that it was unlikely that anyone would stay in jail for simply occupying a vacant building, but said: “When you weaken laws, you gotta expect this to happen.”

“Police know they can’t do anything. These guys continue to wreak havoc on the city.”

Frazier described the call he received from city officials telling him the buildings would be razed.

“I said, ‘Wait. Just don’t knock down my buildings. Give me the opportunity to knock them down.’ That’s unfair.”

“I was eventually going to do it, but you have to get a loan in place. It’s a process,” he added.