A raging fire of undetermined origins destroyed a Turlock residence Sunday morning and left four individuals displaced, the Turlock Fire Department reported.
There were no injuries reported from the incident, though the home was a complete loss.
Shortly before 6 a.m. Sunday the Turlock Fire Department was dispatched to a structure fire in the 200 block of Angelus Street.
The first crews to arrive found heavy smoke billowing from the doors and windows of the home, while flames raged in the rear of the home.
As the crews were setting up the hoses to make an offensive attack, there was a flashover inside the home which allowed the blaze to race through the living room and into the attic, said Turlock Fire spokesman Capt. Kevin Tidwell.
“Flashover is when the temperature in a compartment results in the simultaneous ignition of all the combustible contents in the space,” Tidwell said.
The firefighters continued battling the blaze in the living room and were able to search the residence to make search no one was still in the home.
Moments after searching the home the firefighters had to evacuate the house because the flames growing in the attic area were threatening the stability of the structure.
“One of the greatest dangers in firefighting is the threat of a building collapse,” said Turlock Fire Chief Robert Talloni. “Residential collapses have tripled since the 1980s. The structural integrity of this building was a great concern.”
After being forced to exit the home, the firefighters switched to a defensive tactic and were able to keep the fire from spreading and eventually brought it to full containment.
The four residents living at the home were able to escape the blaze prior to the arrival of the first firefighters.
The Turlock Fire Department responded with three engines, Squad 32, the Fire Chief and the Fire Marshal. The Modesto and Ceres fire departments also responded as part of the resource sharing program.
The cause of the fire is undetermined and remains under investigation.
Anyone with information about the fire is asked to contact Fire Marshal Mark Gomez at 669-2119.
