Fresno Fire sees increased calls for burned homes caused by Fourth of July fireworks

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- A two-story-high wall of flames burned a northeast Fresno home on the Fourth of July.

Witnesses say the cause was fireworks set off in the neighborhood.

"Several houses down, there were big mortars being fired off. And they looked great, but in my head, I was like, that's dangerous," said Vikaas Shanker, whose in-laws live in the neighborhood.

The Fresno Fire Department confirmed the home was one of at least three across the city burned by illegal fireworks this Independence Day.

A home in Central Fresno suffered significant damage to its backyard, including a charred vehicle.

Another, also in Central Fresno, had a damaged fence.

Fire officials say the homes were just some of the casualties of a busy Fourth of July.

"For a brief while last night, we had to stop responding to medical aids. It was about 30 minutes. All of our resources were committed to fire-related stuff," said Fresno Fire spokesperson Josh Sellers.

In total, the department says it responded to 328 incidents, including 203 fire-related calls and 110 medical aids, something officials say is an increase from last year.

The man who witnessed the house fire in northeast Fresno says he loves to celebrate but wishes more people would do so safely.

"Something like this shows that it can happen and if the firefighters hadn't gotten there when they did, who knows? The entire house could be a loss," Shanker said.

Kerry Mannix is a general assignment reporter for ABC30 Action News. For news updates, follow her on Instagram.