Modesto resident of converted garage escapes fire, but two pet dogs found dead
A resident escaped injury but two dogs died in a residential structure fire Saturday night off Yosemite Boulevard east of La Loma Avenue, according to the Modesto Fire Department.
About 9:30 p.m., crews responded to the fire call from the 100 block of Severin Avenue. According to a post on the Fire Department’s Facebook page, they found a well-involved detached garage that had been converted to a living space at the rear of a duplex.
Several adjacent residences and other structures were threatened, so crews worked to confine the blaze to the detached garage and then searched it. Two pet dogs were found dead inside.
The female resident escaped injury. Her mother posted on a Facebook group’s page that her daughter’s studio apartment was destroyed and she “lost everything.” She added she’s thanking God her daughter is alive because “20 minutes earlier she was sleeping.”
The Fire Department says crews remained on scene for about two hours. Battalion Chief Darin Jesberg said by text that the origin and cause are under investigation but the cause is likely accidental.
A photo included in the department’s Facebook page shows flames engulfing a wall-mounted air-conditioner, but Jesberg said the fire is “unlikely associated with the AC unit.”
This story was originally published October 17, 2021 at 11:23 AM.
