FRENSO, Calif. (KFSN) — A central Fresno family of eight is trying to rebuild after a fire sparked by an electric scooter battery destroyed the interior of their home and left them with few belongings.<\/p>\n
Video released by the Fresno Fire Department showed firefighters moving through thick smoke as they fought the blaze, with flames illuminating rooms inside the home.<\/p>\n
“My husband was doing something, and all of a sudden I heard him shout, he told me, ‘Get out, the house is burning,'” said homeowner Adelina Velazquez.<\/p>\n
Velazquez said the fire spread rapidly, leaving little time to react.<\/p>\n
“He tried putting it out with a blanket because that was the first thing that came to his mind. Then he tried to throw water on it, but it was already too late. The flames were already too big,” she said.<\/p>\n
The fire broke out Thursday afternoon. Velazquez, her husband and one of their daughters were able to escape safely, and no injuries were reported.<\/p>\n
According to Fresno Fire officials, investigators determined the fire was caused by a damaged lithium-ion battery inside an electric scooter. Velazquez’s son said he had purchased the scooter secondhand.<\/p>\n
“When they start heating up, or they’re damaged, they can go into something called thermal runaway, where it continues to generate energy, and that energy kind of creates a short circuit loop back into the device, which just causes this runaway generation of heat,” said Fresno Fire Battalion Chief Lawrence French.<\/p>\n
In the aftermath, much of the family’s home and possessions were destroyed. Items collected over 35 years were left burned and covered in ash.<\/p>\n
“I feel awful. I feel sad because overnight we were left with nothing,” Velazquez said.<\/p>\n
Amid the debris, however, two family portraits survived the fire. Velazquez described them as a reminder that the family escaped unharmed.<\/p>\n
“The important thing is that nothing happened to you, your children are okay, and you’re okay. That’s what matters most to me,” she said.<\/p>\n
The family supports itself primarily by selling food from their home. Now displaced and staying in a hotel, they are seeking help as they begin the recovery process.<\/p>\n
“Material things come and go. We are very hardworking people, and we’ll start over again,” Velazquez said.<\/p>\n
As the family works to rebuild, they say they are grateful that everyone made it out safely despite the devastating loss of their home.<\/p>\n
They have set up a GoFundMe<\/a> to help in their recovery efforts.<\/p>\n For news updates, follow Vincent Camarillo on Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n Copyright \u00a9 2026 KFSN-TV. All Rights Reserved.<\/p>\n