‘Significant’ damage at historic Fresno apartment building leaves many displaced
Crews with the Fresno Fire Department on Sunday were still investigating what caused a five-alarm fire that displaced people living in 34 units at a historic Fresno apartment building.
Two people were injured at the Osage Apartments, including a man rescued by two firefighters on the second floor.
The fire started at 10:45 p.m. Saturday at Belmont Avenue and Broadway at the three-story building, Fresno Fire Battalion Chief Brian Price said.
Fire crews received initial reports of people trapped on multiple floors and rescued people and pets.
One person was treated and released at the scene, Price said, but a man who was rescued suffered “significant amounts of burns.”
The man’s condition was not known as of Sunday night, Price said.
A bearded dragon was among the animals rescued.
The distinctive brick building with stately palm trees in front was built in 1929, according to the Local Register of Historic Resources.
Eighty-nine firefighters were on scene at the peak of the incident, the battalion chief said. He said 98 firefighters are on duty per day in the city.
“We were at a point (where) we were looking to calling for help from surrounding agencies as well as recalling apparatus,” Price said. “That’s as big as it can get without us having to do any additional personnel from outside of the city.”
The roof — described as a flat roof mansard facade — is significantly damaged, he said.
While the cause remains under investigation, the origin of the fire might have been in the rear of the building.
The number of people displaced from the fire is not known, but Price said the Red Cross was working on a final count. He believes it could be in the range of 40 to 65 people; the units are mostly one-bedrooms. The entire building is uninhabitable, Price said.
There is significant damage to the infrastructure, Price said., and the building will need major renovations before it’s occupied again.
Besides the roof, he said there is also water damage on the lower floor and the basement is full of water.
The last rig left the scene at 1 p.m. Sunday, Price said.
