Fire tears through historic Fresno building, two burned, several animals rescued

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- A five-alarm fire tore through a historic building in Central Fresno.

The fire sparked late Saturday night, prompting a massive response to an apartment complex on Belmont and Broadway.

Flames spread to all three floors of the building, including the basement and attic.

More than half of the city's firefighters responded after reports of people trapped inside.

Crews were able to rescue those people, although two residents rescued from the second floor were taken to the hospital to be treated for what fire crews say were a significant amount of burns.

Several animals were also saved from the flames.

Fire officials say the historic building had a trash chute that ran vertically from the basement to the attic, which enabled the fire to spread quickly to each floor.

Once residents were out of the building, fire crews spent several hours fighting the flames.

This building does have a history of fires, including one in the mid-80s that damaged the roof.

Fire crews use this historic structure as a model for their drills.

The building is no longer occupiable, it's unclear exactly how many residents are displaced, but the city has 21 residents on record currently living there.