Early morning fire damages home outside Merced, Cal Fire reports

A home was damaged by a fire early Thursday morning just outside Merced, according to Cal Fire/Merced County Fire Department.

No injuries were reported and the structure was believed to be unoccupied. According to Cal Fire Battalion Chief David Scheurich, the fire caused substantial damage to the building which is said to be an abandoned residence.

At about 3:30 a.m. crews responded to the fire near North Highway 59 and West Cardella Road, according to a Cal Fire news release.

Firefighters arrived on scene and found the single family home with heavy flames coming from the structure. Crews made an aggressive attack on the fire and were able to minimize the fire’s spread to additional structures, the release said.

A total of about 10 fire personnel including three engines, one water tender, one medium rescue vehicle and a chief officer responded to the fire, according to Scheurich.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

This story was originally published December 24, 2020 at 12:30 PM.