Late night blaze consumes townhouses; no persons injured in destructive fire

At least six people are without a place to live as of Tuesday morning. Fire crews arrived at the scene around 10 p.m. Monday night to see the fire raging. Apparently the fire started in one of the units while residents were upstairs. They noticed the flames and according to neighbors they had to depart via the upstairs window.

Nobody was injured in the blaze.

However, Michael Patrick, who lives with his two daughters in one of the townhouses, wasn’t at home when the fire erupted, nor were his daughters. Patrick said he was at his job in Visalia when he received a phone call from neighbors saying his home was on fire.

The interior of this townhouse was completely gutted by the fire.

“I wasn’t injured. I was at work last night and I got a phone call at work at about 11:45 p.m. or midnight that my place was on fire,” he said. “I was panicked. I told my boss I needed to leave work, get to my place and see what’s going on. I got here and saw my place on fire. I lost everything.”

Patrick spoke to his neighbors later. “The neighbors told me that they noticed that their downstairs was on fire, and they were upstairs and had to jump out of their top deck, their second story there and then off the roof.”

Patrick says he immediate plans are to find a new place to live for his family.

The fire completely gutted at least two of the complexes while damaging others. Lemoore Volunteer firemen and county firemen responded quickly to the scene. Firemen were called back early Tuesday morning upon news of a “rekindle” according to fire officials.