CA Firefighter Injured, Another Avoids Close Call in Fatal Fire

One person died Wednesday in a house fire in northeast Fresno, fire officials said.

The fire was reported around 11:50 a.m. at a home on North Chestnut Avenue in a neighborhood near East Gettysburg.

Crews arrived at 11:56 a.m. and found heavy smoke and flames. Neighbors told firefighters a person was potentially inside the house.

"Once they were able to get inside, the entire building was engulfed in fire," Fresno Fire spokesman Shane Brown said.

"They did a primary search and they located a victim, which they then confirmed at that time was a fatality."

The fire was under control at 12:19 p.m.

One firefighter suffered burns to the side of his face, but is expected to be fine, Brown said. A second firefighter avoided injury after partially falling through the roof.

The victim's name and age were not immediately known. The cause of the fire is under investigation, but Brown said the house is a total loss.

Twenty-five firefighters battled the blaze, including one engine from the Clovis Fire Department. Brown said seven support personnel were on the scene along with the community response team to set up a rehab center for firefighters.

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