A first-floor apartment fire on the 2300 block of Oakdale Road in Modesto grew into a three-alarm blaze early Sunday morning, displacing 29 residents and killing a family's cat before firefighters could stop the flames from tearing through the walls and attic of the two-story building. No residents or firefighters were injured, but officials estimate the property loss at roughly $1 million.
Emergency dispatch logs show crews were called to the complex at 7:47 a.m. on Sunday, according to ABC10. Modesto Engine 3 was first on scene and found smoke and flames pouring from a first-floor unit, according to a Modesto Fire Department Facebook post detailing the response. Stanislaus Consolidated Fire Protection District firefighters also responded to the working structure fire, reflecting the close coordination between the two agencies that share command during major incidents.
Flames Spread Into Walls and Attic, Prompting More Alarms
Fire officials called a second and third alarm after flames extended vertically into wall cavities and traveled into the shared attic space of the two-story building, according to the same Facebook post. That structural spread brought in additional engines, a quint, Rescue 28, trucks, and battalion chiefs to keep the fire from consuming the entire complex. Firefighters ultimately contained the blaze to the building, though six apartments sustained fire, smoke, or water damage, and 16 more lost electricity.
In total, 29 residents were displaced — 23 adults and six children — none of whom were injured, the fire department's post states. Multiple pets were affected by the fire, and one cat died, per the department's account. The rapid vertical spread from a single first-floor unit into shared wall and attic spaces is the kind of structural vulnerability that has driven Modesto and Stanislaus Consolidated crews to call for extra alarms in past multi-family fires.
Displaced Families Get Help From Red Cross and SAVE Cards
The Modesto Fire Department provided SAVE cards to some affected residents on scene, according to its Facebook post. The cards are distributed through the California Fire Foundation's Supplying Aid to Victims of Emergency program, which issues $250 prepaid Mastercard gift cards to eligible households suffering substantial property loss, covering immediate needs like food, clothing, and hygiene products, per the California Fire Foundation. The Modesto Fire Department's post credits the California Fire Foundation and the Modesto City Fire Fighters Association Local 1289 as partners in providing the cards to residents.
The American Red Cross also responded to assist displaced residents, the fire department said. The American Red Cross Northern California Coastal Region typically dispatches Disaster Action Teams to residential fires to provide emergency lodging, immediate financial aid, comfort kits, and recovery casework for displaced families.
Cause Still Under Investigation
The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the Stanislaus Regional Fire Investigation Unit, according to the fire department's post. That unit is a multi-agency task force combining investigators from the Modesto Fire Department, Stanislaus Consolidated Fire Protection District, the Stanislaus County Sheriff's Office, and the Stanislaus County District Attorney's Office, tasked with determining cause and origin on major fires, per City of Ceres records. Modesto Fire provides executive administration and joint operational leadership for Stanislaus Consolidated under a contracted regional partnership, which is why the two agencies mount unified command during multi-alarm emergencies, according to the Ceres Courier.
The Oakdale Road fire adds to a busy year for Modesto-area crews, who quickly contained a Roselawn Avenue apartment fire in January and joined Stanislaus Consolidated crews in July to battle a wrecking yard blaze on Crows Landing Road that destroyed roughly 100 vehicles. The Modesto Fire Department responded to more than 45,000 emergency calls across the city and its contracted districts in 2024, underscoring the scale of operations behind Sunday's response.
