Three-alarm fire burns cabinet manufacturing business in Waterford

A three-alarm fire tore through a cabinet manufacturing business on Hickman Street early Sunday, creating an estimated $1.5 million in damage.

The fire was reported at 3:14 a.m. at the Acosta & Sons business near Baker Street, just south of Yosemite Boulevard.

The first firefighters arrived a few minutes after the first call reported the fire. They found heavy flames coming out through the roof of the single-story metal building, said Capt. Buck Condit of the Stanislaus Consolidated Fire Protection District.

“When you see a fire like that, you know it’s been burning for a while,” Condit said.

Because the fire was so extensive, officials called for a second alarm to get enough personnel to battle the flames. Condit said there were a lot of doors the firefighters had to either force or kick open to reach the flames.

Tackling the blaze became so labor-intensive that fire officials called for a third alarm to get more personnel at the scene. Eventually, about 50 firefighters were called. Fire departments from Modesto, Ceres, Turlock, Hughson, Woodland and Salida assisted.

Condit said it took firefighters within two hours to get the blaze under control. He said the firefighters’ suppression efforts helped save an estimated $3 million in contents and the building’s structure. A lot of lumber products burned inside.

The business was closed and nobody was inside when firefighters arrived, Condit said. No injuries were reported. Investigators had not determined the cause or origin or the fire.

This story was originally published February 11, 2018 at 4:12 PM with the headline "Three-alarm fire burns cabinet manufacturing business in Waterford."