Brothers remember their dad, who they believe died in west Modesto house fire
Two brothers are mourning their father, who they believe died in an early Saturday house fire in west Modesto.
Bryan and Kevin Vargas said their dad, Victor Vargas, was a hard worker, loved life and especially loved them. “He was just a great father,” said Kevin Vargas, 24.
The brothers were among the family, friends and neighbors gathered in front of Victor Vargas’ home in the 1200 block of Diablo Avenue. The neighborhood is just west of Carpenter Road and just south of Woodland Avenue.
Authorities said Saturday that a victim was found in the fire and was pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities did not provide additional information.
Public records show the home was owned by Victor Vargas, 59. And the brothers said they had not been able to reach their father since the fire. They said he lived alone but his girlfriend would occasionally stay with him. The brothers said their parents were divorced.
Kevin Vargas said he spent Friday night with his dad. He said he dropped by in the early evening and spent several hours with him. He said they took his dad’s two dogs — Oso, a roughly 110-pound German shepherd, and Princess, a roughly 7-pound mixed breed — on a 45-minute walk and then picked up a take-and-bake pizza from Papa Murphy’s.
“We were just talking, catching up,” Kevin Vargas said, adding he left his dad’s home between 10:30 and 11 p.m.
The two dogs were rescued and were sitting in Kevin Vargas’ car. He said the dogs were his dad’s pride and joy, and they will become his pride and joy.
Bryan Vargas said his dad had worked at Lawrence Livermore National Lab for the past couple of years and loved his job. Vargas said his dad was outgoing and loved football.
“He was an amazing guy,” Vargas said. “You could not have asked for a better father.”
Several neighbors described Victor Vargas as friendly and a good neighbor. Public records show he bought the single-family home in 2014.
The Modesto Fire Department reported on its Facebook page that firefighters responded at 4:40 a.m. to the fire. The post stated firefighters found the fire coming from the second floor.
“A second alarm was called after search efforts located a victim; however, after lifesaving measures, the victim was pronounced deceased at the scene,” according to the post.
Modesto police are investigating the death, which is standard anytime someone dies unattended.
This story was originally published April 16, 2022 at 2:33 PM.
