Patterson Irrigator | Your Local Paper - Fire destroys rural Patterson home, barn

December 2, 2008 Patterson, CA

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Fire destroys rural Patterson home, barn

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Written by Jonathan Partridge \| Patterson Irrigator
Friday, 20 June 2008
Firefighters rushed to contain a fire on Loquat Avenue on Wednesday, but the blaze soon destroyed a home, a barn and several vehicles. Investigators suspect scrap recyclers of starting the fire that thrived in the dry conditions. Photo by Elias Funez/Patterson Irrigator A fire started by scrap metal recyclers destroyed a house, a barn and several vehicles and other structures Wednesday afternoon on Loquat Avenue, northeast of Patterson. Neither the homeowner nor the house’s residents were there at the time of the blaze, and investigators have cited six people on suspicion of recklessly causing a fire. Climate conditions made the flames particularly difficult to extinguish, firefighters and investigators said. a garage converted to living quarters goes up in flames off Loquat Avenue on Wednesday afternoon. Fire spread from a nearby barn that also burned down. Fire crews hose down the buildings and plan their attack. Clouds of dark smoke rise from the scene. The blaze also destroyed a farm house, several vehicles and a few outbuildings. Photo by Elias Funez/Patterson Irrigator “With the high temperatures, high winds and low humidity, the firefighters were pretty much behind the eight ball when they got here,” said investigator Craig Davis of the Modesto Fire Department, which investigates fires in Stanislaus County. West Stanislaus Fire Protection District crews initially responded to the blaze as a “barn fire” at 12:59 p.m. on Loquat between Sycamore and Elm avenues. Firefighters remained on the scene until nearly 7 p.m. Though the owner, Tony Felix, lives in Modesto, three farm workers lived in the house and looked after the property. Photo by Elias Funez/Patterson Irrigator The fire, which emitted puffs of thick black smoke to the south, started in the barn, Davis said. Investigators said a spark from an oxy-acetylene torch that the scrap recyclers used to cut metal on the property appears to have caused the blaze. Fire investigator Doug Machado said the fire department cited five suspects Wednesday evening and another Thursday morning. None of the recyclers had permission to be on the property, he said. Felix said he was not aware that anyone was on his property at the time of the fire. However, as of Thursday, the suspects had not been charged with trespassing or any other crimes. Photo by Elias Funez/Patterson Irrigator The barn contained a truck, car and tractor, which were all destroyed by flames. The fire also demolished the 1,300-square-foot house in front of the barn and destroyed a diesel trailer, a 45-foot cargo van trailer, a late 1960s Chevrolet Impala, an early 1950s Chevrolet pickup, a 25-foot travel trailer, a garage with living quarters and a pump house and water tank. Climate conditions were not the only challenges facing emergency responders. Firefighters had to avoid stepping on a downed power line near the house, said Steve Hall, division chief for West Stanislaus Fire Protection District. Photo by Elias Funez / Patterson Irrigator The line crackled and popped like fireworks when it finally became engulfed in flames. Firefighters’ water supply also was limited, because the fire was in a rural area. Given those conditions, Davis said, the firefighters deserved high praise for keeping flames from spreading to other areas. Photo by Elias Funez / Patterson Irrigator “The guys did an absolute great job,” he said. Wednesday’s blaze occurred a week after a fire ruined the sidewalls of two neighboring homes and a fence on Horizon Lane in southwestern Patterson. Investigators think that fire resulted from a gas leak in one of the homes, which was vacant. Photo by Elias Funez / Patterson Irrigator To reach Jonathan Partridge at the Irrigator, call 892-6187 or e-mail him at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it Set as favorite Bookmark Email This Hits: 263 Comments (0) Subscribe to this comment's feed Write comment Name Email Title Comment smaller \| bigger Subscribe via email (Registered users only) I have read and agree to the Terms of Usage.