Fire destroys vacant house near Merced mobile home park

An abandoned house went up in flames Monday near a mobile home community off Highway 140.

The midday fire leveled the dilapidated house behind the Sierra Portal Mobile Estates community on Yosemite Parkway, near the Bradley overpass on the outskirts of Merced.

Flames damaged a fence at the mobile home park and firefighters also had to knock down a portion of the fence to get to the fire quickly, according to Cory Haas, battalion chief for the Merced Fire Department.

About 20 firefighters responded around 11:35 a.m. to the blaze, 16 from the city and four from the county. Authorities put early damage estimates around $800 to $1,000, mostly due to the fence damage.

Haas said the investigation was turned over to the county. He said the building was not connected to any utilities. Neighbors said the house has been empty for years and that it has been used by transients who have been known to start fires to cook and stay warm.

“Nobody was seen leaving the area,” Haas said.

Paramedics with Riggs Ambulance monitored and examined firefighters for heat exhaustion and other hot-weather-related injuries, Haas said. Those examinations are helpful, especially as temperatures continue to flirt with triple digits.

No injuries were reported.

This story was originally published June 6, 2016 at 12:39 PM with the headline "Fire destroys vacant house near Merced mobile home park."