Crews battle fire amid ‘chaotic’ scene in Fresno with residents screaming, dogs barking

Fresno firefighters and police officers worked through a “chaotic” scene late Thursday afternoon after a southeast Fresno home caught on fire, causing its residents to wildly scream while their dogs aggressively barked at those who tried to help.

It happened around 4 p.m. on the 5000 block of East Laurel Avenue, near the intersection of Chestnut and Tulare avenues.

A two-story structure that housed four adults began to burn, prompting multiple calls to the Fresno Fire Department.

When fire crews arrived, Fresno Police already had responded and were helping residents evacuate the building.

Initially, residents screamed from inside their home as the fire spread. And when police tried to calm down the residents and get them to safety, the residents’ dogs barked and went after officers and fire crews.

“These folks were chaotic,” Fresno Battalion Chief Tony Escobedo said. “They were losing control, screaming and nobody seemed to know what to do. Police had to actually force them out.”

At one point, Fresno Police officers took out their Tasers to potentially use on the aggressive dogs. However, the owners were able to corral the animals and help put them into a vehicle to reduce some tension.

The reaction by the residents prompted fire crews to thoroughly check the building for other people and animals possibly left inside.

Escobedo said all people and animals that lived in the residence were evacuated. One person suffered from smoke inhalation and was treated at the scene before being transported to a hospital, Escobedo added.

The fire was under control within 10 minutes, the battalion chief said, though crews ran into some accessibility issues with a swimming pool positioned between the residence and the street.

Cause of the fire was not immediately known.

It also was unclear how long the four residents would be displaced.