High Winds Rip Roof Off Fresno County CAL FIRE Station in Tranquility

A severe winter storm’s strong winds tore part of the roof off CAL FIRE Station 95 on West Morton Road in Tranquility (also spelled Tranquillity in some reports), scattering debris across the street into an almond orchard and leaving heavy damage to the apparatus bay where the engine is normally parked. Cal Fire returned after a report and found a “massive hole” just feet from the room where firefighters regularly work out.

Cal Fire says someone called in around 3:30 p.m. reporting that a tornado had damaged Station 95; witnesses told local reporters they saw a small funnel cloud touchdown in the town. Moments after the reported touchdown, “pieces of the roof of Cal Fire Station 95, on West Morton Road, were sent flying in several directions, with some even landing across the street in an almond orchard,” according to local reporting tied to the scene.

The National Weather Service in Hanford offered a different assessment of the mechanism. “The damage at the Calfire Station in Tranquility was likely due to winds. Nearby weather stations showed gusts of 35 to 40 mph at the time. Radar data at the time of the report did indicated some broad rotation in the area, but was not tornadic,” the NWS said, noting nearby stations’ recorded gusts. The storm that produced the winds also caused widespread impacts across the region, with reports of power outages affecting thousands and hazardous road conditions.

The station’s crew was not inside when the roof was ripped away; Chief Matthew Mosley said his firefighters were responding to a call in Mendota when initial reports came in. Mosley emphasized readiness even amid unusual weather: “Rarely does one actually touch down and cause damage. But with this job, just like with the public, always got to be ready for everything. Fire Department, we're not exempt from disasters happening, so we've got to respond and react,” Mosley said. He later reassured communities that living quarters were not damaged and services would continue: “There's no damage to the residents or barracks of our station crews, and we just want to reiterate to the communities that our services aren't affected by this damage. We're still going to be here and doing our job.”

Local images published by area stations show torn roofing, apparatus-bay destruction and scattered debris; a regional news gallery lists file names such as Fire station.JPG and Fire station 3.JPG and included weather snapshots showing current temperatures near the mid 40s and forecasts calling for rain, thunder and wind. Social media reaction to the incident was immediate: an ABC30 Action News post reading “Powerful wind has blown a section of the roof off a Fresno County Cal Fire station” logged 256 reactions, 21 comments and 56 shares. Comments ranged from reports of other local damage, “The Kerman mobile home was hit bad! People awning and skirtings were ripped off”, to sharper local criticism, such as “Lowest bidder.”

Cal Fire personnel have secured the scene and assessed that the primary damage is to the apparatus bay and roof section; crews said services to Tranquility and surrounding communities remain available while repairs are arranged. Officials have not released an engineering report or final storm survey, and the National Weather Service assessment that the event was likely wind-driven but not tornadic remains part of the record.