Number of fires down overall in Fresno, crews still responding to more structure fires

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Despite a number of house fires in recent weeks, the Fresno Fire Department says overall this year, the number of fires that crews responded to is down.

A video shared by the Fresno Fire Department shows just one of the structure fires crews fought this year near Maroa Avenue and Pontiac Way in central Fresno.

"We just recently had a fire last week, that fortunately no one was injured, but the home did not have smoke detectors. Had that fire occurred later at night after the family had gone to bed, we would have actually had a real tragedy," explained Josh Sellers with the Fresno Fire Department.

Sellars says this year, they responded to 1,099 structure fires, which is above average.

In addition to making sure you have working smoke detectors.

He also says to make sure you have a fire extinguisher and know how to use it with the PASS method.

"P-A-S-S, p: pull the pin, a: aim the nozzle, s: squeeze the nozzle, the other s is sweep back and forth until the fire is out," said Sellers.

When it comes to fires that displace families, the Red Cross is always there to help.

"We work with all the fire departments across the Central Valley. They'll call our Disaster Action Team, which is volunteers who will go to the scene and help the families who have been displaced, and they've helped more than 360 families this year," said Taylor Poisall with American Red Cross.

The Red Cross has assisted nearly 1,000 people in 2023 alone with disaster recovery during some of the most difficult times.

"It's incredible to be able to help families in their time of need, to go and make a positive difference on usually the most moments of their lives, they lost their family history, their belongings that meant so much to them, memories. So, our volunteers just let them know that someone cares, someone's going to help them get through the next few days, and that they're not alone," Poisall added.

The Red Cross is always in need of volunteers.

The Fresno Fire Department says it cannot stress enough how important it is to test your smoke detectors.

Officials say it's best to do so every month to keep everyone safe.

For news updates, follow Brianna Willis on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.