2 People Die in Fresno House Fire

The cause of a fire that killed a 3-year-old boy and his grandmother and destroyed their southeast Fresno house late Friday remains a mystery to investigators this weekend.

But the house apparently lacked smoke detectors, officials said Saturday.

Angelita Reeves, believed to be in her 40s, and her grandson, Anthony Ramirez, 3, died in the fire on the 4600 block of East Nevada Avenue, near Maple Avenue between Belmont and Tulare avenues. The two were found dead in a bedroom.

Smoke and flames already were billowing from the windows and doors when firefighters arrived about 9:30 p.m. But after relatives said people were trapped inside, firefighters were unable to make a rescue.

Officials are calling the fire’s cause “undetermined” for now.

Property-tax records show the small two-bedroom house was built in 1920, and Fresno Fire Department spokesman Ken Shockley said investigators looked for smoke detectors in the house but found none.

Burned belongings from the house were on the front lawn Saturday morning, and the smell of wet ashes lingered in the air. A small angel statuette stood in what had once been a flower bed near the front porch. Someone had stopped early in the day to place flowers next to a tree in front of the house.

Shortly after 1 p.m. Saturday, a passer-by noticed smoke coming from the home again, prompting firefighters to return, tear up the roof and spray water into what was left of the attic to snuff out any lingering embers.

Distraught relatives of the victims looked on from the curb as the firefighters worked Saturday. Reeves’ niece, Francine Martinez, clutched photos of her aunt and her young cousin and said Anthony would have celebrated his fourth birthday soon.

Dao Vang, 19, who lives across the street, said the Reeves family was renting the house and had moved in only about two months ago. Vang said another relative was preparing to move into the adjacent garage Friday.

“I was in my bedroom when my brother and I heard a lot of screaming and we saw the fire,” Vang said.

Another neighbor, Myshell Mabry, 15, sat on the front steps of her home drawing a pencil sketch of the burned house. She said when she came outside Friday night, she saw frantic family members outside the house.

“They were yelling, ‘Mom, mom, grab the baby and get out,’ ” Myshell said.

Investigators estimated the damage to the structure and belongings at $175,000.

Fire officials said the incident is a tragic reminder to have working smoke detectors in every room except the kitchen, and to practice family escape plans for emergencies.

Story and photo by Fresno Bee / news tip submitted by J. Tracy Fresno FD