FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) — Beginning Thursday, the City of Fresno opened its three warming centers through Friday as Valley lows reach near-freezing.
The warming centers are free and open to anyone looking to escape the frigid conditions and keep warm.
Those locations can be found at Ted C. Wills, Mosqueda, and Maxie L. Park Community Centers.
At the Ted C. Wills Community Center on San Pablo Avenue in Central Fresno, staff unpacked stacks of blankets and setup rows of cots accommodating 100 people.
“When the people come in, they’re greeted with a warm smile, a warm meal, and a warm place,” said Sara Mirhadi, Chief Programs Officer of the Poverello House and warming center supervisor.
Fresno is expected to drop to a frigid 35 degrees Thursday night which meets the city’s threshold to open its three warming centers for the first time this winter. Fresno Fire says it has seen an increase in warming fires, as Valley lows become deadly.
“Whether or not that’s folks from the homeless community or just regular everyday folks that are trying to stay warm and having accidents,” said Josh Sellers with the Fresno Fire Department.
As recently as December, a man and a woman were found dead inside a tent at Belmont and Abby near Highway 180. Investigators believe the two started a fire, fell asleep, and died from a lack of oxygen.
“Those warming fires that may seem small and insignificant. They are seeing an increase in injuries of burn injuries to the hands and their lower extremities,” said Sellers.
Pets are also welcome at the warming centers.
Each location staffed by Poverello House employees, who have a long history of welcoming those who rely on warming centers.
“These are people we work with 365 days of the year for over 50 years. We have that touch, so to speak, we are able to communicate with them; we see them every day and we serve them every day,” said Mirhadi.
In Downtown, the Fresno Rescue Mission supports opening warming centers, but says it does not ease the demand facing local nonprofits.
“Also for that reason, we don’t see a decrease in the demand for people accessing our warming centers,” said Matthew Dildine, Fresno Mission CEO.
The warming centers will be open Friday with operating hours from 7 P.M. to 7 A.M.
For news and weather updates, follow Christina Lopez on X and Instagram.
Copyright © 2026 KFSN-TV. All Rights Reserved.