Firefighter Adam Tiffany of Engine 54 escorts Robert Garcia into the apartment /photo by LISA JAMES MERCED SUN-STAR
Several Merced families were displaced from their homes Thursday, after an early morning blaze at an apartment complex.
Investigators say no one was hurt in the fire, which may have been started by a space heater.
Merced Fire Chief Ken Mitten said firefighters responded to the blaze at 5 W. 25th St. after receiving a 3:26 a.m. alarm. The complex, which consists of two separate buildings with five units each, was mostly unoccupied by the time firefighters arrived at the scene.
The fire started in a unit in the west building, completely gutting the apartment. It also spread to the east building, destroying about two-thirds of that building’s attic. The fire was brought under control at 4:02 a.m.
Mitten said about six children and 12 adults were displaced by the fire. Eight of the building’s 10 units had tenants. Firefighters spread throughout the complex, confirming that all of the building’s occupants had escaped. “It’s one of those fires where you have so many people threatened,” Mitten said. “When you get a lot of people, because of the units, we call a lot of extra people in.”
Story by Merced Sun Star
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