Dark, black smoke billows after five homes catch on fire in busy Fresno neighborhood
Five homes were damaged after a pair of palm trees caught on fire and spread to the adjacent houses in a busy central Fresno neighborhood.
The incident triggered a three-alarm response by the city Fire Department.
At least 60 firefighters were called out in response to the 3:15 p.m. blaze in the area of Ashlan and Lafayette avenues.
Fresno Fire Battalion Chief Tim Fulmer said crews were responding to what was first reported as a vegetation fire. Multiple trees were ablaze and the fire then spread to one house.
The fire then spread to four more houses with triple-digit temperatures and wind adding to the challenge, he said.
Some homes were likely to be declared unlivable, even though Fulmer said most of the damage was to the exterior and in the attics. It was not known how many people will be displaced.
At least two firefighters suffered heat exhaustion, Fulmer said. No other injuries were reported.
Black smoke was visible throughout Fresno.
Access to the fire was complicated by the heavy traffic along Ashlan, Fulmer said.
It remained unclear early Saturday night what set the first palm trees on fire.
“Wind and heat coming together is catastrophic, especially in a tight neighborhood,” Fulmer said. “We want to tell people to be very mindful when they’re out smoking, using fireworks and those types of things because it can cause catastrophic damage.”
This story was originally published July 23, 2022 at 7:23 PM.
