FRESNO, Calif. — A video shows firefighters rescuing a man from a burning home.
KMPH reported that Fresno Fire Department firefighters and police responded to a fire at an abandoned home and found a man trapped underneath the building’s foundation.
“Is somebody in there?” firefighters can be heard yelling in the helmet cam video.
“Yes! He needs help!” police officers respond.
Chief Kerri Donis said vacant building fires such as the one shown in the video have “more than doubled.”
“What we’re having is, the fire calls keep coming up, and they’re not coming down at all. In fact, this year, the vacant structure fires have more than doubled,” Donis said. “And we’re not even at the end of the year. Last year we had 33; this year, we’re at 76. That’s up 130 percent.”
Chief Donis added that while the department is being stretched thin due to such increases, she is proud of the firefighters’ focus and selflessness.