Dog’s barking alerts Fresno homeowner to fire likely sparked by fireworks
.jpeg "Fresno Fire crews responded to a house fire on Wilson, near Belmont Avenue on Saturday, July 4, 2026.")
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- A Fresno homeowner escaped serious injury after his dog’s barking woke him to a fire.
- Firefighters responded just after 11 p.m.
- Escobedo said fireworks are the likely cause of several nearby fires.
A Fresno homeowner escaped serious injury Saturday night after his dog’s barking woke him in time to escape a fire that damaged his home and spread to nearby vehicles.
Firefighters responded just after 11 p.m. to a home on Wilson Avenue near Belmont Avenue, where flames engulfed the back of the house.
Several vehicles also caught fire, and the flames spread to a neighboring vacant home.
Fresno Fire Department Battalion Chief Tony Escobedo said the homeowner was asleep when his dog began barking.
“He got out of the house to check, and he found fire on the back side of his house,” Escobedo said.
Power lines also came down during the fire.
The cause remains under investigation, but Escobedo said fireworks are the likely cause. While firefighters were battling the blaze, aerial fireworks continued to be launched in the area.
The Wilson Avenue fire was one of several incidents crews responded to Saturday night that officials believe were likely caused by fireworks.
Other fires were reported near Holland and Feland avenues, Huntington Boulevard and Lind Avenue, Illinois and Minnewawa avenues, and First Street and Sussex Way.
The extent of the damage at those locations was not immediately known, and officials had not confirmed whether anyone was injured.
Escobedo urged residents to use caution with fireworks, noting that firefighters responded to 14 residential fires within a two-hour period.
“Every Fourth of July we preplan,” Escobedo said. “Every year we have this kind of activity. The skyline just lit up. We have units at River Park that are running calls at Cherry (Avenue). We’re all over the place.”
.jpeg "image0 (91).jpeg")
.jpeg "image0 (92).jpeg")
.jpeg "image0 (93).jpeg")
.jpeg "image0 (94).jpeg")
