Fresno Fire released helmet camera footage Thursday showing crews as they breached a Central Fresno apartment building during a deadly fire Wednesday. It killed one man.<\/p>\n
“I wanted to see if we could break a window. Maybe the door was unlocked, and we could get in or something?” resident Cilla Lopez told Action News.<\/p>\n
Lopez heard a cry for help and ran outside with her hose.<\/p>\n
“It was too hot. Too big,” she said. “Even when they were right here trying to put it out, it was hot, and they had to stand back.”<\/p>\n
The fire triggered a second alarm, drawing a total of 63 fire department personnel.<\/p>\n
Officials said the fire spread from the first apartment into the building’s shared attic, damaging all four units and displacing 15 residents.<\/p>\n
Lopez was among those meeting with the Red Cross.<\/p>\n
“They came. It wasn’t just us they helped; they helped the other neighbors, too. We’re all going through it together,” Lopez said.<\/p>\n
“Our hearts are with everyone affected by this fire. American Red Cross volunteers are connecting with the impacted families to provide support, care, and resources,” the organization stated Thursday.<\/p>\n
Fresno County authorities have not yet identified the man who died. Lopez said he had not lived there long and was with his sister.<\/p>\n
“It’s sad,” Lopez said. “It’s sad, but we did what we could. Luckily, the firefighters, they all came pretty fast.”<\/p>\n
On Thursday, cleanup was underway, with crews removing debris and surveying the damage.<\/p>\n
One firefighter sustained minor burns and was taken to a hospital for treatment.<\/p>\n
Investigators are still working to determine the cause of the fire.<\/p>\n
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