Four people escape west Modesto house fire, but dogs are found dead
Four people escaped harm but up to four dogs died in a house fire in west Modesto on Sunday night, according to the Modesto Fire Department.
About 9:45 p.m., Modesto and Ceres crews responded to a residential structure fire in the 600 block of Spencer Avenue, just west of Mellis Park. They found a well-involved single-story residence, with fire threatening nearby homes.
Four adults who’d been in the home had gotten out and were standing out front, Battalion Chief Darin Jesberg said Monday morning. Crews contained the fire and then searched the home.
Firefighters found three or four dogs, Jesberg said. He noted that the uncertainty about the number is because of the condition of the house, which was largely gutted by the fire.
About three-quarters of the home burned, the battalion chief said. A couple of rooms were spared because closed doors kept the flames from spreading.
There was no immediate information on the origin and cause of the fire, which will be determined by the Stanislaus Regional Fire Investigation Unit.
