Family displaced by apartment fire in Merced, fire officials say

A family has been displaced after an apartment fire Saturday, Merced City Fire Department officials said.

According to Fire Capt. Jim Evans, at about 7:50 p.m., three engines and one fire truck responded to a structure fire at a Merced apartment complex in the 3100 block of Meadows Avenue.

The fire was found in the kitchen of one the building’s eight apartment units, Evans said. The family that was living in the unit, two adults and three minors, were able to escape without injury.

After arriving on scene, firefighters gained control of the fire within about 15 minutes, Evans said. The fire was contained the kitchen area but caused minor smoke damage to the rest of the unit. Evans said the fire caused an estimated $50,000 in damages.

According to Evans, other residents within the building were evacuated at the time of the fire as a safety precaution, as well as to allow for firefighting operations. Red Cross representatives responded to the scene to aid the family.

“I would like to stress the importance of checking smoke alarms,” Evans said.

According to fire officials, smoke alarms played a key role in alerting the residents to the fire.

Evans said there were no reported injuries to firefighters or civilians. Officials were not able to determine the cause of the fire.