FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) — A two-story-high wall of flames burned a northeast Fresno home on the Fourth of July.<\/p>\n
Witnesses say the cause was fireworks set off in the neighborhood.<\/p>\n
“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.<\/p>\n
The Fresno Fire Department confirmed the home was one of at least three across the city burned by illegal fireworks this Independence Day.<\/p>\n
A home in Central Fresno suffered significant damage to its backyard, including a charred vehicle.<\/p>\n
Another, also in Central Fresno, had a damaged fence.<\/p>\n
Fire officials say the homes were just some of the casualties of a busy Fourth of July.<\/p>\n
“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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
The man who witnessed the house fire in northeast Fresno says he loves to celebrate but wishes more people would do so safely.<\/p>\n
“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.<\/p>\n
Kerry Mannix is a general assignment reporter for ABC30 Action News. For news updates, follow her on Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n Copyright \u00a9 2026 KFSN-TV. All Rights Reserved.<\/p>\n