Fire damages 11 UTVs near Blackstone, apartment building saved

A fast-moving fire behind Clawson Motorsports in northeast Fresno damaged 11 utility terrain vehicles and briefly threatened a nearby apartment complex, turning a commercial storage lot into a major emergency along the Blackstone Avenue corridor.

Firefighters began getting 911 calls shortly after 6:30 p.m. Monday, May 11, after callers reported a fire near an apartment complex behind businesses along Blackstone Avenue near Sierra Avenue. Thick black smoke could be seen across much of the city by the time crews arrived, and the flames had already spread into vegetation, creating a risk for a two-story apartment building nearby.

Crews later determined the main fire was burning in a commercial back lot behind Clawson Motorsports, not in the apartment complex as first reported. Engine 11 crews shifted into a defensive posture to protect the building while other firefighters attacked the blaze in the dealership lot, where 11 UTVs were damaged and a large eucalyptus tree also caught fire. The Sierra Meadows Apartments were threatened but were not damaged, and no residents were displaced.

The fire mattered well beyond the back lot because Clawson Motorsports is not a new player on Blackstone. The business traces its roots to 1936, and its motorcycle operation was moved behind the auto dealership in 1991 after the Honda motorcycle and car businesses outgrew two separate North Blackstone locations in 1986. That history helps explain why the fire drew attention in a dense stretch where dealerships, apartments and other businesses sit side by side.

No injuries were reported, but the financial hit was not yet known and investigators planned to review surveillance video to determine the cause. For Clawson Motorsports, the damage means replacing or repairing a cluster of inventory in a single strike, while for nearby businesses and apartment residents the episode was a reminder of how quickly a fire in a back lot can threaten structures just a few yards away.