Fresno's Peerless Building damaged by dumpster fire, firefighters investigating

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- The Peerless Building is an iconic gathering successful Downtown Fresno.

But aboriginal Friday morning, idiosyncratic lit a dumpster down the historical operation connected fire.

The occurrence past dispersed to a information of the building. The occurrence near down a charred wall, and the flames shattered a window, which is present boarded up.

"We spot alley fires," said Nader Assemi, who is 1 of the co-owners of the Peerless Building.

People are trying to enactment warm, but this 1 evidently has a somewhat antithetic standard to it.

Assemi has co-owned the Peerless Building for respective years.

For him, the Peerless Building is simply a passionateness task to assistance revitalize the downtown area.

"These are not projects that enactment immoderate wealth successful your pockets, not yet," said Assemi. "Hopefully, 1 day, we get there. But close now, the wealth each gets reinvested successful the building."

Co-owner Nader Assemi is frustrated astir what happened. But he's not letting that halt him from trying to assistance revitalize the area.

Security video shared with Action News showed a antheral successful what looks similar a bluish oregon purple overgarment walking to the dumpster.

He past drags what appears to beryllium immoderate benignant of instrumentality and tosses it. He past walks to different dumpster, pulls retired a bluish integrative container and places it by the dumpster.

Moments aft helium walks away, fume tin beryllium seen starting to rise, and the occurrence starts to grow.

"It's infuriating arsenic a concern owner," said Nader. "Because we person a batch of blood, sweat, and tears, on with each our tenants here."

Minutes aft the occurrence begins to grow, the antheral returns. He past starts to propulsion immoderate of the dumpsters person to the fire. He walks distant again conscionable arsenic firefighters statesman to propulsion in.

Another information camera shows the strength of the flames and the fume billowing up.

The Fresno Fire Department is present investigating the incidental arsenic arson.

"But due to the fact that it was noticed to beryllium somewhat suspicious, an researcher was called," said Josh Sellers with the Fresno Fire Department.

Fresno Fire said this isn't the lone clip firefighters responded to dumpster fires successful that area.

The section added that this is the 3rd dumpster occurrence determination successful the past 2 months.

"I can't accidental whether oregon not the 2 different fires are suspicious successful nature," said Sellers. "But present that this is an investigation, the investigators are present looking into that."

Assemi told Action News contempt the vexation helium feels, he's looking to crook thing negative, into thing positive.

"Potentially opens opportunity," said Assemi. "People are saying, 'Hey, you know, possibly bash immoderate mural astatine the backmost of the building.' I don't know, incorporated the fume harm connected the ceramic into art."

Another concern successful the Peerless Building told Action News they smelled fume coming into work.

While what happened is disheartening, they're not going to fto this halt them.

"We've got astir 20 tenants here," said Assemi. "All tiny businesses that person been truly intentional astir making a prime astir being downtown and investing their dollars here. We're benignant of each successful it together."

Assemi said a remediation institution would beryllium coming retired connected Saturday to cheque retired the damage.

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