One house and two roadsides catch fire in Merced County over weekend, officials report

Multiple fires in Merced County over the weekend displaced one man and set roadsides ablaze, according to Cal Fire officials.

At around 1 a.m. on Sunday, Cal Fire and city of Atwater firefighters responded to a house fire around the 1500 Block of Buhach Road, said Captain David Scheurich, with Cal Fire.

One man was inside the house, John Cizauskas, Cal Fire officials said, and was transported to a hospital with minor burns on his elbow and feet. He is expected to recover.

The fire started in a detached garage, Scheurich said, and then spread to the main house, causing the most damage in the attic. There was minimal damage inside of the home, he said, but the structure still isn’t livable.

There is about $85,000 worth in damages, according to Scheurich.The cause of the fire is under investigation, he said.

At around 5 p.m., there was a vegetation fire alongside Old Lake Road near G Street, Scheurich said. No injuries were reported.

The cause of the fire is under investigation; it was cleared up by 10 p.m. There was a lot of heavy brush and dead vegetation, he said, and because of that the fire “spread pretty rapid.”

Just before this fire was reported, Scheurich said, another fire started alongside the road in Planada near Santa Fe and Le Grand Road. No injuries were reported, he said, and the fire was contained by 5:15.

“What started the fire is under investigation,” Scheurich said. “It’s not believed any of those fires were firework-related.”

Scheurich said it’s common for more fires to be reported around this time of year, especially during a holiday weekend.

“There’s a lot of activity and traffic,” he said. “People are traveling and we always have an increase (of fires) around now.”

According to Cal Fire and law enforcement officials, illegal fireworks have always been an issue in Merced County, which are typically the types of fireworks that can ignite a fire.

Anything that explodes, leaves the ground or doesn’t have a safe-and-sane label is illegal, Cal Fire officials said, including modified safe-and-sane fireworks.

Dry vegetation and low humidity increase the chance of a fire starting, officials said, and can make fires burn more quickly and intensely.

Cal Fire officials advise those lighting safe-and-sane fireworks to do them in an open space, away from dry vegetation, and to soak them in a bucket of cold water before disposing.

This story was originally published July 2, 2017 at 4:14 PM with the headline "One house and two roadsides catch fire in Merced County over weekend, officials report."