An early-morning fire at a Modesto duplex sent three people, including two children, to the hospital in critical condition on Sunday after flames erupted in an attached garage and smoke poured into the home, according to officials. Neighbors and residents scrambled out in the dark, and several people managed to escape without injury before firefighters arrived.
Crews were called out around 3:09 a.m. to a home on Leon Avenue, where they found the attached garage burning and smoke pushing into the living area, according to ABC10. Firefighters with the Modesto Fire Department pulled one adult and two children from the duplex, and all three were taken to area hospitals in critical condition, the department said.
"The cause of the fire remains under investigation," officials told ABC10. The blaze was reported to be contained to the garage, and six other residents had already evacuated by the time fire crews got there. Investigators with the Stanislaus Regional Fire Investigation Unit were expected to comb through the scene to determine what sparked the flames.
Why Garage Fires Can Turn Dangerous Fast
Attached garages are notorious trouble spots in house fires, largely because they often hold fuel, chemicals, and other highly combustible items. The U.S. Fire Administration notes that garage fires "tend to be larger and spread farther" than blazes that start in other parts of a home. Its report on residential garage fires points out that thousands of these incidents are reported each year and urges basic precautions, such as installing heat alarms in garages and keeping flammable materials away from anything that could ignite them.
What Officials Say Comes Next
The Modesto Fire Department has said it will release more information once investigators finish their work and is urging residents to double-check their smoke and heat alarms and to stay clear of active emergency scenes. Anyone with information about the Leon Avenue fire is being asked to contact local authorities as the investigation continues.
