Fires burn across Fresno County over busy holiday weekend

FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – It was a busy Fourth of July weekend for fire crews as flames broke out across both the City of Fresno and the surrounding county areas. 

“The Fourth of July was a really busy night for us,” said Josh Sellers, PIO for the Fresno Fire Department.

The county crews were just as busy. 

“So every Fresno County Fire District engine was on a call at one point or another,” said Capt. Gary Couch with Cal Fire and Fresno County Fire.

From July 4 through July 5, Fresno firefighters responded to 122 fires across the city.

“That included structure fires, grass fires, and all sorts of fires,” said Sellers.

In Fresno County, crews were equally overwhelmed.

“On July 4, we ran about 70 calls in about three hours,” Couch said.

Fires sparked in fields, along freeways, inside homes, cars—even boats. Day or night, big or small—it seemed fires were burning everywhere.

One of the more recent fires occurred on July 6 near Highway 180 and Peach Avenue.

“I was just chillin’ with my kid in the room we were watching TV when we just started smelling fire,” said Najee Harris, a nearby resident.

That fire burned about 3 acres before it was fully contained, stopping just short of a nearby neighborhood.

On July 5, a grass fire burned near Zediker Avenue outside of Parlier. It was caused by fireworks, officials said. 

“It burned in an open field, and we contained it to 164 acres,” Couch said.

And on July 4, a large fire broke out near the Island Water Park, about 30 miles from the city. 

The fire burned through a grassy field and reached the edge of a nearby neighborhood and Highway 99.

Water park officials say the fire started on an empty lot across Barstow Street, on the north-northwest side of the property, and was not connected to the park’s fireworks display.

Back near Highway 180 and Peach, firefighters say the grass fire was quickly contained before it could do any structural damage.