Unattended food on kitchen stove set Merced apartment ablaze, fire officials say

One man was left without a home after unattended food on the kitchen stove sparked a kitchen fire early Friday morning, Merced City fire officials reported.

Fire crews responded to the flames in the 400 block of West 23rd Street about 2:30 a.m. When they arrived, they saw fire coming from the first floor of a two-story apartment complex, Battalion Chief Jeremy Franklin said.

Residents evacuated the building before firefighters arrived and no injuries were reported.

Firefighters quickly knocked down the flames and contained the fire, Franklin said.

Most residents were allowed to return to their apartments.

One man who lived in the unit that caught fire was displaced and Red Cross responded to make arrangements with him, Franklin said.

Franklin estimated the damage in the kitchen to be around $40,000.

This story was originally published September 8, 2017 at 10:53 AM with the headline "Unattended food on kitchen stove set Merced apartment ablaze, fire officials say."