Fresno family displaced by fire. Battalion chief has warning about how house was secured
An early morning fire Friday left a home inhabitable, but the family that calls it home was lucky to escape a potentially dangerous situation, according to the Fresno Fire Department.
Neighbors reported smoke coming from the home on 11th Street near Floradora Avenue about 6:45 a.m., according to Battalion Chief Tony Escobedo.
Crews arrived to find a fire in the attic that appeared to originate from a heater, Escobedo said. No one was injured — but Escobedo noted that windows had been screwed closed, which could have led to a much worse fate.
“If this fire had spread undetected at maybe a different time of the day, the family would have had to negotiate getting out of this house with windows that are not able to open,” he said.
Escobedo said the department advises residents find a way to secure their homes and leave the ability to escape in an emergency.
The family was not home despite it being so early in the morning and firefighters were working on finding them, Escobedo said. Neighbors said they expected the family to be home at that hour.
Based on the photos and beds inside, he said, it appeared to be a family of five.
