First responders' efforts in deadly multi-vehicle pileup on Highway 99 in Fresno

Vincent Camarillo

Mon, January 12, 2026 at 3:45 PM UTC

2 min read

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As the intense investigation continues into a deadly, multi-car pileup on Highway 99 in Fresno, we're learning more about the effort extended by first responders.

"The natural disasters we've gone to in the past have played a huge part in us getting experience to do that and work on it, to make decisions without enough information, without enough time, that are critical," says Battalion Chief Lupe Fernandez. "The more and more we flex that muscle and we train and practice, the better we get at it."

Sunday's disaster demanded every ounce of experience that the California Highway Patrol, Fresno Fire Department and medical crews had to offer.

The line of damaged cars stretched seemingly without end, due to the dense fog.

As rescue teams scrambled to remove victims from their vehicles, Fernandez's quick thinking saved them precious time.

"When I arrived, firefighters were actively helping people out of their cars," he said. "They were searching cars. We had to establish some means of making sure we weren't duplicating our efforts so we could be as effective as we could."

Footage from the scene shows cars marked with orange X's and O's.

"An X means we've searched it and it's clear," Fernandez said. "A circle means we've searched it the second time and it's clear, and the second time is more. It's a deeper search. It's under, on top, in between."

What may seem simple to some could have been the difference between life and death.

"There's always something to learn from every incident," Fernandez said. "We could do something better each time, but we were comfortable with how things went."

The sheer volume of cars involved in the accident may look catastrophic, but nearly 20 years ago, a similar sight blanketed Highway 99 near Clovis Avenue.

A 100-vehicle crash killed two and sent 39 others to the hospital.

Chief Fernandez says disasters like these are what make his unit stronger and more capable when their number is called.

"It doesn't happen every day, for sure, but I've had experience doing it -- it absolutely helped," he said. "The fact that we had several of the people who have been on those deployments with me there really made it go well."

Many of the surviving victims in this case, which included children between the ages of one and four years old, were transported by a FAX bus, adding another layer of collaboration to this life-saving effort.

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