Firefighters back at fresh blaze at Modesto auto yard

Firefighters were back at the Modesto Auto Wreckers yard Wednesday night, after battling a blaze there twice Tuesday.

Wednesday’s call came in at 10:36 p.m., said Modesto Fire Department Battalion Chief Hugo Patino. Unlike Tuesday’s efforts, against an initial fire thought extinguished that reignited later in the night, Wednesday’s was a new fire in a different area of the wrecking yard at Crows Landing Road and Seventh Street, he said.

At least a dozen cars were burning, compared to about 20 that caught fire Tuesday. Seven fire engines, two trucks and two chief officers responded Wednesday, for a total of 30 fighting the blaze, Patino said.

There was no one found in the area and no known witnesses except for people who called 911 upon seeing flames, he said.

The Sunrise Village mobile home park is to the north of the wrecking yard, and a California Department of Transportation storage facility is at the other end, Patino said, with several other auto wreckers and light-industrial sites nearby.

“But there is a real large drainage area set behind the property between the freeway and this commercial area that gets regular foot traffic,” he said. Still, there’s not been a regular history of fires at the wrecking yard, he said.

This story was originally published April 21, 2016 at 7:54 AM with the headline "Firefighters back at fresh blaze at Modesto auto yard."