Operations & Training

Large CA Fire Destroys Vacant Buildings, Vehicles

Aug. 8, 2020

Firefighters from five departments battled the five-acre blaze that started in an abandoned building and was fueled by propane tanks and stronger than usual winds.

By Larry Valenzuela and Anthony Galaviz

Source The Fresno Bee

Firefighters from five departments battled a five-acre fire that started in an abandoned building Friday.

A multi-structure fire erupted Friday night in Selma, destroying four abandoned buildings and several vehicles.

Parts of Highway 99 also were shut down.

The five-acre blaze started at an abandoned building on McCall Avenue, just north of Mountain View Avenue, according to Fresno County Fire battalion chief Michael Bowman.

Flames and smoke were visible all the way from Fresno.

It was not immediately clear what caused the fire.

No injuries were reported.

Twenty five firefighters responded, with crews from Tulare County, Selma, Kingsburg, Fresno County and CAL FIRE all at the location.

Several streets were closed off, including McCall and Mountain View avenues.

Propane tanks caused the fire to explode further, Bowman said.

He added that the stronger than usual winds also was an issue in trying to contain the fire.

———

Visit The Fresno Bee (Fresno, Calif.) at www.fresnobee.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.