‘Suspicious’ grass fire injures two Fresno firefighters. Six homes were threatened

Anthony Galaviz

June 6, 2024 at 6:51 p.m.·2 min read

Fire crews put out a grass fire that threatened homes and injured two firefighters in Fresno on Thursday afternoon.

The Fresno Fire Department and North Central Fire responded to the fire along Cornelia Avenue, between Clinton and McKinley, around around 12:30 p.m.

The fire posed a danger as it spread east toward six homes because of a wind that kicked up. Crews were able to put out the fire.

A firefighter had a back injury and another was overcome by heat exposure, Fresno Fire Battalion Chief Dan O’Meara said. The temperatures at the time was over 100 degrees.

Both firefighters are expected to be OK.

The cause of the fire was under investigation, thought O’Meara said it was suspicious.

O’Meara said another fire was started a few blocks away before this one.

Fresno arson investigation

Fresno Fire, meanwhile, said its department is looking for potential arsonists believed to be responsible for five fires that happened Wednesday near Thursday’s fires. The fires Wednesday were at Cornelia and Belmont, Cornelia and Olive, Vassar and Clinton, Fruit and Dunn, and Cornelia and McKinley.

A surveillance video captured a vehicle believe to be a 2002-06 Lexus sedan.

Additionally, Fresno Fire is looking for another person responsible for a series of four arson fires that have occurred over the past five weeks.

Those fires happened in the northwest and southwest areas of Fresno.

Fresno Fire said at those scenes, a suspect posted hand-written notes on the residences and then used gasoline to ignite the fires. Fresno Fire said a middle-age woman is alleged to have started the fires, but the department did not have a physical description.

Anyone calling with information can remain completely anonymous by contacting Crime Stoppers at 559-498-7867 or the Fresno Fire Department Arson hotline at 559-621-2767.

A car is burned after a grass fire spread east on Cornelia Avenue, between Clinton and McKinley avenues in Fresno, California on Thursday, June 6, 2024.

Fire crews protected homes as a grass fire spread east towards it. No homes were damaged on Thursday, June 6, 2024.

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Fresno arson investigation

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