12 people displaced after home, RVs destroyed by fire in west-central Fresno

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) — Firefighters raced to contain a massive fire that destroyed a home in west-central Fresno Thursday evening.

The fire broke out around 5 p.m. at a home in a neighborhood near Brawley and Olive.

When firefighters arrived, they found intense flames and thick black smoke coming from the home.

The smoke was visible for miles across the city.

Vanessa Barnett said she had lived in the house for three years.

Today, she fears she has lost everything.

“I had a lot of stuff in there,” Barnett said. “A lot of my dad's stuff was in there too. I was going home soon and my passport is in there.”

The fire destroyed the house and two RVs on the property where it started, leaving 12 people displaced.

“I don't know what the breakdown is between those who lived in the RVs and those who lived in the houses,” Deputy Fire Chief Jacob McAfee said.

During a search of the house, firefighters rescued at least four dogs. Barnett said he heard sizzling and crackling noises before seeing the flames.

“I look up and to the side, that's when I saw and I started to see the flames coming up,” Barnett said.

As the winds picked up, the flames began to spread from the house to nearby grass.

“We had a spot fire that started in some vegetation to the east,” Chief McAfee said.

Other firefighters arrived and helped control the grass fire before it spread further to other homes.

Investigators are still trying to determine what started the fire.

Even though no one was hurt, Barnett still feels dazed.

She's trying to figure out what to do next.

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