Fresno Apartment Building Struck by Vehicle, Family of Three Displaced

A vehicle veered off West Ashlan Avenue just after 1:20 p.m. Monday and crashed into an apartment unit on the 3000 block near Marks Avenue, tearing through a children's bedroom wall and setting off a response that stretched from structural shoring to gas-line shutoffs in northwest Fresno.

Fresno firefighters arrived to find the car had punched through roughly 15 to 20 feet of a bedroom wall, according to ABC30. Crews were seen tearing down wood and debris to reach the vehicle and assess the damage. Because of the structural threat, Fresno Fire's Urban Search and Rescue team was called to evaluate the building's stability; they installed shoring to help stabilize the structure and prevent a possible collapse.

The crash also ruptured gas lines, forcing crews to shut off utilities to the impacted apartment unit and a neighboring unit as a precaution.

Two people inside the vehicle sustained minor injuries and were transported to a local hospital for evaluation and treatment. Officials have not released their names. National Today reported the occupants were an older man and his granddaughter, though that detail was not corroborated by other outlets covering the crash.

The woman inside the apartment at the time escaped without injury. Both children who lived in the unit were at school when the car struck, ABC30 reported. A dog that was inside the apartment during the crash was also uninjured and was safely reunited with its owner, firefighters said.

Three residents, including the two children, were displaced from the unit as a result of the damage. The Fresno Police and Fire Chaplaincy is assisting the family and working to help them secure resources.

The reason the driver left the roadway remains unknown. Investigators have not released any information about a possible cause, and no word has been given on whether drugs or alcohol were involved, according to KMJ. No arrests or citations related to the crash were reported.