Two-alarm fire erupts at giant southeast Fresno abandoned building

A two-alarm fire broke out at a large abandoned building near Jensen Avenue and Golden State Boulevard Tuesday evening, according to the Fresno Fire Department.

At the east end of the building, above the original office, is a storage space that was burning through the roof when firefighters arrived, said fire battalion chief Thomas Cope.

“It’s a commercial building, approximately 30,000-40,000 square feet,” Cope said.

The nearby abandoned buildings and the volume of the burning building caused firefighters an increased a sense of urgency to put out the flames, he said.

Cope said the vacant building did not appear to be well secured, since firefighters found graffiti on the inside.

“It’s difficult to keep them secured,” said Cope.

“People go in there and they sleep and they party and sometimes they start fires,” said Cope.

The cause of the fire remained under investigation Tuesday night.

This story was originally published January 5, 2016 at 9:07 PM with the headline "Two-alarm fire erupts at giant southeast Fresno abandoned building."