A large warehouse in the industrial area of south Fresno caught fire Monday, sending a large plume of black smoke into the air.
The fire in the vacant building on Cedar Avenue just west of Highway 99 was reported by a passerby around 1 p.m., according to Battalion Chief Lawrence French of Fresno Fire Department.
Fire crews estimated about 30% of the warehouse was ablaze when firefighters arrived, he said. The burning building is about 100 feet wide and 300 feet long, and surrounded by several other empty buildings.
No injuries had been reported Monday, French said. The property is owned by the state High-Speed Rail Authority, and the buildings were already scheduled for demolition.
Fighting the fire was made more complex by a lack of nearby hydrants, French said. The crews ran a roughly 1,500-foot line to the nearest water source and pumped it through a water tender.
The cause of the fire and the extent of damages were still under investigation on Monday.
Reporter Thaddeus Miller has covered cities in the central San Joaquin Valley since 2010, writing about everything from breaking news to government and police accountability. A native of Fresno, he joined The Fresno Bee in 2019 after time in Merced and Los Banos.
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