Merced Fire investigating cause of blaze at vacant M Street building

Merced fire crews on Tuesday continued to investigate a large structure fire that engulfed a vacant building on M Street.

No injuries were reported and the cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Fire crews responded to the 3180 M Street building at 12:45 p.m., according to Deputy Fire Chief Casey Wilson.

Firefighters found heavy flames on the first and second floors of the approximately 25,000 square foot structure.

Mutual aid was requested and Cal Fire/Merced County Fire Department responded. About 22 total fire personal responded including six engines, one ladder truck, and three chief officers, according to Wilson.

“Today we’ve transitioned into an investigation phase, so we are working to complete our investigation,” said Wilson.

The fire was so involved, the structural integrity of the building was compromised, making it unsafe for firefighters to enter and take care of hotpots, fire officials said.

Heavy equipment was used Tuesday morning to remove structural pieces hanging inside the building, plus sections of roof and the second floor, allowing firefighters access to safely investigate.

Wilson said due to the significant flames inside the building, firefighters deployed defensive tactics by attacking from the outside to prevent it from spreading to other structures in the area.

The fire department received reports prior to the fire that there were people in the area. “As with many vacant buildings in the area, it’s common that transients will frequent those areas so that is definitely something we’re looking into,” Wilson said.

This story was originally published December 1, 2020 at 2:18 PM.