TULARE COUNTY, Calif. (KMJ/KFSN) — An apartment fire in the South Valley left nearly three dozen homeless Wednesday night.
Fire crews spent hours putting out flames that engulfed multiple units inside an apartment building in Orosi.
In total, the fire left 35 people without a home.
The two-alarm fire ripped through a two-story apartment building on Ella Avenue and Road 127.
Neighbors described the chaos as the fire quickly spread sending multiple fire crews to the small community.
“We heard a loud pop. We didn’t know what it was. We thought it was a car accident. We came outside and we seen the top apartment in front of our house on fire,” said Brian Garcia, a resident who lives across the street and noticed the large flames from the building.
As the fire traveled from the top floor to the bottom, neighbors took action.
“Us and the neighbors, we got water hoses and tried taking out the fire, but in five minutes, the fire spread quickly,” said Garcia.
Just before 4 pm, crews with Tulare County Fire responded to a structure fire.
“Units arrived on scene to find a grass fire and fire in the complex,” said Capt. Tim Franks with Tulare County Fire.
Calls poured in from those in the community who saw the thick black plumes of smoke fill the air.
“We received multiple calls – it ended up being a second alarm response,” said Capt. Franks.
Fire crews were able to safely evacuate everyone out of the building with no reported injuries. The American Red Cross worked to secure shelter, food and clothing for those displaced by the blaze.
Neighbors described the area as a working class community with many families already struggling to make ends meet.
“Unfortunately, it hits even harder to all the residents in the area when something like this occurs,” said Capt. Franks.
“It’s just really sad to see that they won’t be able to sleep there no more; wait for a while to get a house or an apartment, and they’re going to have to spend the night at a family’s house,” said Garcia.
Firefighters were able to recover some personal belongings and return them to those who evacuated. The fire remains under investigation.
Fire officials said what worked well in this situation was working smoke detectors and families evacuating quickly.
