An 83-year-old grandfather and his 14 chihuahuas are dead as a result of illegal fireworks shot into the yard of his north Visalia home on the Fourth of July, witnesses and neighbors said.

Visalia fire officials said the cause of the blaze that first ignited a pine tree before quickly spreading to Raymond Fierro's home remains "under investigation."

Multiple witnesses at the scene on Thursday night, however, reported seeing a "rocket hit the tree" before it "blew up" on the 1100 block of Stover Street.

"We noticed the tree on fire and ran over to help. It only took about two minutes for the whole tree to burn up," said Reece Newsome, who was celebrating the holiday with friends and family on Douglas Avenue. "You could see the ash and feel the heat from blocks away."

"The fire started at the top of the tree 20 feet in the air, what else could it be?" another witness said. "You can hear fireworks pop-pop-pop all night around here."

Around 9:30 p.m. on Thursday, Visalia firefighters responded to calls of a burning tree on Stover.

Four minutes later, firefighters learned the fire had spread to a home beneath the tree, Battalion Chief Danny Wristen said.

When firefighters arrived at the scene, the front of the house was on fire. Two neighboring homes were also threatened by flames.

Firefighters concentrated on making sure the fire didn't spread. They were able to contain the blaze to Fierro's home, Wristen said.

Neighboring homes had minor yard and shed damage, but Fierro's home was "a total loss," Wristen added. Firefighters didn't fully extinguish the blaze until 4:30 a.m.

As firefighter worked to battle the blaze, family members feared the worst for Fierro. They didn't learn of his passing until the following morning.

"We're afraid (Fierro) is in there," Al Weese said Thursday night surrounded by tearful family members. "He is usually home at this time and nobody saw him leave. We can't get a hold of him."

Firefighters said tough conditions delayed the search for the missing grandfather.

"Damage to the structure and fire involvement was extensive hampering search efforts," Battalion Chief Darrin Hughes said. "As the fire was being knocked down, crews searched the structure and located the occupant, deceased."

Neighbor Armando Perez was also injured in the blaze but declined to go to the hospital. He was burned while moving his aunt's car so it wouldn't catch fire, he said.

"I saw the tree go up in flame and before I knew it, it was on our doorstep," he said. "It was so hot I got a burn on my left shoulder."

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Perez's aunt, Lupe Flores, remembered her neighbor Friday morning. Smoke was still in the air.

"(Fierro) was a quiet man who kept to himself. Not someone you see outside, so we all feared the worst when the house caught fire," she said. "It happened so quickly. There's no way he had time to escape."

"He lived in that house with 14 chihuahuas; it was his hobby. They're all gone, too."

Flores said she saw a firework launch and "stay up in the tree" before it erupted in flame Thursday night.

"If it hadn't been for that illegal firework, he'd still be alive," she said.

Investigators with Visalia and Tulare fire departments as well as Visalia detectives are working together to determine the cause of the fire, Hughes said.

Three engines, two ladder trucks, two battalion vehicles, two investigation units and a Tulare City Investigator responded to the blaze, Hughes said. Southern California Edison, The Gas Company and CalWater were onsite to repair damaged utilities, including a power pole.

At least a dozen officers were also on scene. Stover Street was closed to traffic while firefighters extinguished the flames.

If anybody has any information that would assist detectives please contact Detective James Cummings at 713-4722.

Joshua Yeager covers water, agriculture, parks and housing for the Visalia Times-Delta and Tulare Advance-Register newspapers. Follow him on Twitter @VTD_Joshy. Get alerts and keep up on all things Tulare County for as little as $1 a month. Subscribe today.