Fresno County firefighters battle two vacant house fires in one day

Flames tore through two vacant houses within hours Friday, sending Fresno County firefighters to separate scenes in Mendota and southwest Fresno and underscoring how quickly empty buildings can turn into neighborhood hazards.

The first fire broke out near Derrick and Belmont avenues in Mendota and had already spread into surrounding grass by the time crews arrived. Firefighters knocked it down before it injured anyone or reached nearby structures.

Later the same day, crews were called to another vacant house fire near Jensen and Cornelia avenues southwest of Fresno. That blaze was even further along when firefighters reached it, with the roof already in flames. Crews contained that fire as well, keeping it from damaging other buildings.

Both fires remained under investigation, and officials have not said whether they were connected. The back-to-back calls nonetheless fit a pattern Fresno Fire has been tracking for months: empty buildings can sit vulnerable for long stretches, then ignite from trespassing, warming fires that get out of control, accidental ignition or deliberate setting.

In December, Deputy Fire Marshal Jay Tracy said the city had logged 76 vacant building fires year-to-date, calling that "about the normal amount" for that point in the year. Tracy also said many vacant-building fires are "human-involved," a reminder that abandoned structures are often not just neglected but actively entered and used.

That warning carried added weight after Fresno Fire said a vacant house fire near Shields and Valentine avenues was intentionally set in July 2025. Investigators have treated that kind of repeat fire at the same address as a sign of how vacant properties can become recurring targets.

The Fire Investigations Unit works with the Fresno Police Department, Fresno County Sheriff’s Office, the U.S. Department of Justice, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Federal Bureau of Investigation when a fire has a criminal nexus. The department says it has served the city since 1877 and now operates 20 stations, a footprint that reflects how often crews are pushed from one call to the next across Fresno County.

Friday’s fires ended without injuries or confirmed spread to other structures. But they still pulled fire crews into two active neighborhood scenes, exposing nearby residents to smoke, heat and the constant risk that an unsecured vacant house can become the next larger disaster.