Dozens forced out of their homes by Merced apartment complex fire

More than two dozen people were displaced in a fire early Friday that ripped through a K Street apartment complex in Merced, Fire Department officials said.

Firefighters responded about 2:10 a.m. to a large apartment fire at 2355 K St. Ten apartments were damaged, with three receiving major damage and three receiving minor damage, said Billy Alcorn, deputy fire chief for the Merced Fire Department.

Firefighters battled the flames for two hours.

The Red Cross responded to help the displaced families find shelter and to provide other assistance.

Residents whose homes were unharmed said Friday that they believe two dogs died in the fire and that children and one pregnant woman were checked by emergency medical responders for fire inhalation.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

The fire was the last in a string of blazes that stretched the Fire Department’s resources beginning Thursday night.

The first fire was reported just after 10 p.m. Thursday at St. Vincent de Paul Society in the 100 block of West Main Street. Firefighters first found a couch burning in the alleyway and then found the contents inside the nearby warehouse also were on fire, fire Chief Shawn Henry said in a news release.

Four fire engines, a firetruck and two battalion chiefs worked on the fire for two hours. The Merced Police Department and Riggs Ambulance assisted.

The fire was deemed suspicious. No arrests have been made.

A short time later, at 10:44 and 10:58 p.m., firefighters responded to two other small fires.

A debris fire consisting mostly of cardboard was reported near the Walgreens in the 1600 block of R Street.

A dumpster fire was reported minutes later behind the building at 354 W. Main Street. The Merced County Fire Department responded to the incident because the city’s fire units were committed to other incidents.

Both of those small fires also were considered suspicious.

Investigators aren’t sure if the fires are related, said Battalion Chief Cory Haas.

At 11:45 p.m., firefighters left the Walgreens debris fire and responded to a fire in an underground Pacific Gas and Electric Co. vault near 3000 M St. The fire resulted in a power outage to customers in the area of M Street and Olive Avenue. It’s not clear how many were out of power.

At one point in the night, crews were fighting two fires and responded to a car crash, meaning all of the city Fire Department’s resources were tied up, Haas said.

Typically, the Fire Department has five engines and one truck on duty. “Last night, all of our resources were completely committed,” he said. “We were unable to respond to other emergency calls.”

The Merced Fire Department has five fire stations and 57 line firefighters. The department protects more than 23 square miles and more than 45 percent of Merced County’s population. In 2015, the Fire Department responded to 9,282 calls for service, according to its website.

The fire at St. Vincent de Paul resulted in the charity closing its doors until at least Monday. The organization typically hands out lunches to the needy on Fridays.

Volunteers trickled in to the store Friday morning to check out the damage.

The charity depends on donations and already has been struggling to keep its doors open, said manager Wayne Brown. The store has two employees and a handful of volunteers to keep its operations running.

A family who had been living in their car and had just found a place to live was scheduled to pick up furniture at St. Vincent on Friday, said Tawnya Brown, a volunteer. St. Vincent had to cancel the appointment.

“We were on the verge of closing already,” Wayne Brown said. “This drove it in a little further.”

This story was originally published August 5, 2016 at 3:30 PM with the headline "Dozens forced out of their homes by Merced apartment complex fire."