By Michael Shemtoub, trial attorney, Beverly Law. Updated November 2026.
Burned because of someone else?
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Fresno’s burn center takes patients from a 15,000-square-mile area, and with the Bakersfield unit’s planned closure, Kern County patients may be sent here too. Below we cover that burn center and two local cases that show how long burn recovery can take. General material on burn degrees and grafts is in our burn injury lawyer guide, and statewide law is on the California burn injury page.
The Leon S. Peters Burn Center
The burn center is at Community Regional Medical Center, 2823 Fresno Street. The hospital says it treats patients from an area of 15,000 square miles and describes it as the only round-the-clock, full-service burn center between Los Angeles and Sacramento (Community Health System). It is ABA-verified for adults and children (ABA Find a Burn Center; California EMSA list, Dec. 2, 2025). Community Regional is also Fresno County’s Level I trauma center on the state’s list (California EMSA trauma center list).
The Fresno unit matters even more to Kern County patients in 2026. With the Grossman Burn Center in Bakersfield scheduled to close on June 30, 2026, nurses there said the closest burn care for Kern County patients would be the Fresno unit, about 100 miles away (23ABC). For a family from outside Fresno, travel and lodging during a long burn admission are part of the losses a claim should cover.
| What | Where | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Leon S. Peters Burn Center, Community Regional Medical Center | 2823 Fresno St., Fresno | ABA-verified, adults and children |
| Community Regional Medical Center trauma center | Fresno | Level I adult trauma center |
| B.F. Sisk Courthouse (unlimited civil cases) | 1130 O St., Fresno | Fresno County Superior Court |
Our burn center directory lists every verified center in California.
Where a Fresno burn case is filed
The Fresno County Superior Court hears unlimited civil cases, which are lawsuits over $35,000, at the B.F. Sisk Courthouse, 1130 O Street (Fresno County Superior Court, Civil Unlimited). A burn case with surgery, grafts or lasting scars belongs in that category.
Free burn injury case review
Tell us what happened. We will tell you plainly whether there is a case and what to do next. You owe no fees or costs unless we win.
Fires in Fresno by the numbers
The Fresno Fire Department’s 2023 annual report gives a clear picture of how busy the city is (Fresno Fire Department 2023 Annual Report):
| Fresno Fire Department, 2023 | Number |
|---|---|
| Incidents | 50,049 |
| Fire calls | 7,213 |
| Structure fires | 1,123 |
| Civilian fire deaths | 3 |
| Civilian injuries | 12 |
| People displaced by fire | 508 |
| Fire loss, all fires | $47.0 million |
The pace continued in 2024. On December 3, 2024, GV Wire reported that a fire that day marked the department’s 1,031st structure fire of the year (GV Wire). Fireworks add to it: in the 12 hours starting at 6 p.m. on July 4, 2025, Fresno Fire handled 190 incidents, 122 of them fires (GV Wire, July 7, 2025).
Two Fresno burn incidents
The 2015 gas line explosion. On April 17, 2015, a tractor’s front-loader bucket gouged a Pacific Gas & Electric gas line at a gun range used by the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office, and the line erupted. The Associated Press reported 11 people hurt, including eight jail inmates and the county worker driving the tractor, and the blast closed Highway 99 in both directions. The findings came from a report released by the California Public Utilities Commission (Claims Journal/AP, July 9, 2015). Inmate Jeremiah Espino, 52, died after the explosion (ABC30, May 12, 2015). Community Regional said it received five of the most seriously burned patients that day and two more that evening (Community Health System).
Gas line cases often involve more than one defendant, such as the operator of the equipment that hit the line and the utility that owns it. Our gas explosion page explains those claims.
A firefighter’s recovery. Fresno Fire Captain Pete Dern fell through the roof of a burning house in March 2015 and was burned over 70% of his body. He was treated at the Leon S. Peters Burn Center and spent 165 days at Community Regional before going home in September 2015 (Community Health System). Recoveries like his are why a burn claim has to account for months of care.
Farm and plant burns in Fresno County
Fresno County reported $9.03 billion in gross agricultural production for 2024, according to the county agricultural commissioner’s report as described by Agri-Pulse (Agri-Pulse, Nov. 12, 2025). Farm and packing work brings burn hazards from fuel, propane equipment, hot processing lines and agricultural chemicals.
A workers’ compensation claim does not stop an injured worker from suing an outside company, other than the employer, whose negligence caused the burn, such as the maker of a defective heater or fuel tank (Cal. Labor Code § 3852). See our workplace burns page. Scalds at home and in restaurants are covered on our scald burns page; water at 133°F can cause a third-degree burn in about 15 seconds, according to the American Burn Association (ABA scald guide).
California deadlines for a Fresno burn claim
| Situation | Deadline | Law |
|---|---|---|
| Most burn lawsuits | Two years from the injury | CCP § 335.1 |
| Burn involving the City of Fresno, Fresno County or another public entity | Written claim within six months | Gov. Code § 911.2 |
| Burned child | Time before age 18 generally does not count, except against public entities | CCP § 352 |
| You were partly at fault | Recovery reduced by your share, not barred | Li v. Yellow Cab Co. |
If you were hurt in a Fresno store or parking lot rather than burned, our Fresno slip and fall page covers those claims.
Talk to a Fresno burn injury attorney
If you or a family member is being treated at Community Regional after a burn in Fresno, Clovis, Madera or a farm town nearby, call Beverly Law at (310) 552-6959 for a free, confidential review in English or Spanish. We can start while you are still in the burn unit. You owe no fees or costs unless we win.
Common questions
Where are serious burns treated in Fresno?
At the Leon S. Peters Burn Center at Community Regional Medical Center, 2823 Fresno Street. It is ABA-verified for adults and children, and Community Regional is a Level I trauma center.
Which court hears a Fresno burn lawsuit?
The Fresno County Superior Court. Lawsuits over $35,000 are heard at the B.F. Sisk Courthouse, 1130 O Street.
How many fires does Fresno have?
The Fresno Fire Department reported 7,213 fire calls in 2023, including 1,123 structure fires.
I was burned working on a farm. Can I sue?
Possibly. You may have a workers’ compensation claim and a separate lawsuit against an outside company that is not your employer, such as the maker of equipment that failed.
How long do I have after a burn in Fresno?
Generally two years. If a city or county agency is involved, a written claim is due within six months.
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Burn injury lawyer — Beverly Law
If you or your child was burned because of someone else in California, Texas and Washington, talk to a burn injury attorney. Free, confidential, English or Spanish. You owe no fees or costs unless we win.
Related pages
Sources
- communitymedical.org/services/burn-center
- ameriburn.org/burn-care-team/resources/find-a-burn-center
- emsa.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/71/2025/12/CA-ABA-Verified-and-LEM
- emsa.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/71/2025/08/California-Designated-A
- turnto23.com/news/in-your-neighborhood/bakersfield/nurses-warn-closure-o
- fresno.courts.ca.gov/divisions/civil/civil-unlimited
- fresno.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/2023-Annual-Report-FINAL.pdf
- gvwire.com/2024/12/03/fresno-firefighters-tackle-another-structure-bla
- gvwire.com/2025/07/07/july-4-weekend-was-no-picnic-for-fresno-area-fir
- claimsjournal.com/news/west/2015/07/09/264407.htm
- abc30.com/post/inmate-injured-in-fresno-gas-pipeline-explosion-dies/7
- communitymedical.org/about-us/news/leon-s-peters-burn-center-proves-expertise
- communitymedical.org/about-us/News/Capt-Pete-Dern-goes-home
- agri-pulse.com/articles/23762-nations-top-ag-county-posts-a-record-9-billi
- childburn.org/_files/ugd/8b77b5_86f5163b1c4f4c9a8d6cc8c3456a2d7f.pdf
- leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml
- leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml
- leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml
- leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml
- scocal.stanford.edu/opinion/li-v-yellow-cab-co-27850
Important: This page is general information, not legal or medical advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Every case is different; talk to a lawyer about yours. Texas cases are handled by the firm’s Texas-licensed attorneys, Joyce Ondich and John Efstathiou. Last reviewed: November 6, 2026.