Reports of people trapped inside prompted Fresno firefighters to force entry and conduct searches in a boarded-up office building during a 2-alarm fire

By Anthony Galaviz
The Fresno Bee

FRESNO, Calif. — Crews from the Fresno Fire Department responded to a two-alarm fire at an office building in Fresno’s Tower District on Thursday, following reports of people trapped inside.

Firefighters arrived just after 9:30 a.m. to find heavy smoke pouring from the boarded-up building at 1331 N. Wishon Ave. They quickly extinguished the fire and found no one inside, though the situation was challenging.

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“We went into rescue mode,” Fresno Fire spokesperson Josh Sellers said. “We had to force entry into the building because reports that people may have been inside; it’s like a maze in there. Fortunately, there was no one inside.”

No firefighters were injured, Sellers said.

The roadway was closed for several hours.

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