Atwater

Power surge sparks fire at Castle Air Force Base

Sun-Star Staff
A California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection firefighter from Merced County works to put out a fire inside an abandoned building at the Castle Commerce Center on Wednesday, June 1, 2016.
A California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection firefighter from Merced County works to put out a fire inside an abandoned building at the Castle Commerce Center on Wednesday, June 1, 2016. Thaddeus Miller tmiller@mercedsunstar.com
ATWATER

A power surge caused when a tree fell onto a set of power lines Wednesday sparked flames in the attic of an abandoned building at Castle Air Force Base.

Fire was reported around 4:30 p.m. at a defunct, wooden building on Heritage Drive. Firefighters’ efforts to stop flames were hampered by the surging power lines, Calfire Battalion Chief Jeremy Rahn said.

There were no injuries.

A total of 12 firefighters from Merced County and Atwater responded to the fire.

A damage estimate was not immediately clear.

This story was originally published June 1, 2016 at 5:27 PM with the headline "Power surge sparks fire at Castle Air Force Base."

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