Downed power line sparked Fresno County fire that destroyed two homes, fire officials say

FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) -- Flames and dense fume consumed the country of Sussex Way and Thorne Avenue successful Fresno County Tuesday afternoon.

Daryl and Cathy Christoffersen unrecorded successful the country and saw the fume coming from their neighbor's house.

"We ran astir similar chickens with our heads off. What are you going to do? There's fume coming retired the backmost window," Daryl said.

Multiple homes connected the northbound broadside of Sussex were evacuated arsenic the flames tore done the properties.

PREVIOUS STORY: 3 homes burned successful Fresno County, occurrence forced evacuations and powerfulness outages

"The backmost obstruction was connected fire, the bushes were connected fire, the backyard was wholly engulfed. The powerfulness lines were burning. Everything retired the backmost model was connected fire," the brace said.

The blaze destroyed 2 homes and near backyards charred.

"The 3rd location that was affected was chiefly a detached store that was a full loss, but the location we were capable to prevention with minimal harm and the 2 superior homes close adjacent to each different were a full loss," North Central Fire Protection District Deputy Fire Chief, Jacob McAfee explained.

Investigators accidental the occurrence displaced 5 radical and 10 animals - and near 1 canine dead.

It besides caused powerfulness outages for astatine slightest 300 customers.

"Preliminary reports from the occurrence probe bespeak that determination was a powerfulness enactment that was faulty and caused the fire--that was the archetypal telephone arsenic well," McAfee stated. "There were reports of aggregate powerfulness lines down arsenic well, but we didn't find that to beryllium true. It was conscionable the archetypal powerfulness enactment that started the fire."

We reached retired to PG&E who accidental the incidental is inactive being investigated and the origin is undetermined.

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