One dead, firefighter injured in central Fresno fire

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Firefighters are investigating a fire that killed one person and an injured a firefighter Sunday morning.

The two-alarm fire burned a garage apartment behind a home on Bremer and College, just north of Highway 180, at around 6 a.m.

Firefighters say the flames shot 20 or 30 feet above the second story and they had word someone might be trapped inside.

They rushed in and couldn't find anyone initially, and then an explosion injured one firefighter.

"The origin of the explosions is not known, but it's likely to have been oxygen tanks that were probably part of the patient's care for medical issues," said Fresno fire Department battalion chief Todd Tuggle.

A second search revealed the victim dead in a downstairs apartment.

Firefighters say explosions are a frequent concern when they first show up to fires, but they don't think they saw any suspicious items in this garage.

Paramedics took the injured firefighter to a hospital for treatment of injuries to his face, but he's expected to get released later Sunday.

Arson investigators are looking into what caused the fire this morning and for the moment, they're treating it as a crime scene.