The Fresno Fire department is calling a house fire suspicious.
Crews responded to the fire Monday night.
It happened on the 9300 block of Orchard, near First and Shields.
Three adults and two children are homeless, and in the care of Red Cross.
Neighbors were shocked at the site.
"Actually when I came out the window blew out," said Donald Hoover who lives next door.
A home so choked with flames smoke was gushing from the mailbox.
Four Trucks… nearly two dozen firefighters went to work fast.
“So I came out to see what was going on and then that’s when I noticed the flames starting to come out the front window of the home next door,” said
He was grateful for the heads up and tried stopping the flames in their tracks.
"I got a hose and was watering up my side because the flames were coming up on the eves of the side of my house too,” he said.
Firefighters continued to hammer away with all they had.
Make sure everybody got out safe.
"Fortunately when we searched the house and put the fire out there were no people in the house, they had not gotten home yet,” said Firefighter Casey Clark.
It was short work.
The fire knocked out in about ten minutes.
The only casualties this time around... damaged property… and frazzled nerves.
"It’s got to be unnerving to have something this big happen right next door? Oh it is,"
responded Donald Hoover.
The fire caused $50 in damages.