Crews extinguish fire at former JC Penney building in Downtown Fresno

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- A firefighter is recovering after crews responded to a fire at a vacant Downtown Fresno building.

The flames broke out just before 3:00 Sunday afternoon near Tulare and Broadway. It's the same building damaged by another fire last fall.

This former JC Penney building hasn't been operational for years, but the Fresno Fire Department makes repeat trips to this corner.

A small fire near the top of the building sent firefighters rushing through the empty structure. They didn't find anyone inside, and the cause of the fire is still under investigation. But Fresno police say there's evidence that people could've been inside.

Fresno Fire Battalion Chief Lawrence French said, "They frequently come down here for folks trying to break into these buildings. In the basement there's previous fires at this location."

The fire didn't spread to other buildings and they were able to put out the fire in a half-hour. But not without a firefighter getting dehydrated on the job.

Fresno Fire Battalion Chief Lawrence French added, "We did have one firefighter that's being evaluated right now by EMS which is an assisting agency. His condition right now is very stable."

The owner of the building lives in Los Angeles and is expected to come to Fresno to take a look at the damage.