Apartment fire displaces five people, kills dog in Merced, fire officials say

Five people have been displaced and a dog is dead following a Tuesday morning apartment fire in central Merced, according to Merced Fire Department.

Firefighters responded to a report of a structure fire at a single story apartment complex at about 9:17 a.m. in the 1300 block of West 19th Street, near T Street, according to Battalion Chief Mickey Brunelli.

The apartment unit was not occupied at the time of the fire and that a bystander alerted firefighters after hearing a smoke alarm at the residence.

About 16 personnel responded to the fire and firefighters gained control after about 20 minutes. No damage occurred to the surrounding units.

Brunelli said the fire appears to have started in the living room area, possibly after some sort of smoldering material was brought into the residence.

Two dogs were located at the residence at the time of the fire. Only one of the dogs survived.

Brunelli said firefighters used a pet oxygen device that was donated by a community group to administer oxygen to the animal.

According to Brunelli, the five people displaced by the fire have received assistance from Red Cross and the cause of the fire remains under investigation.