11 displaced by Atwater fire believed to be arson

Nearly a dozen Atwater residents lost their homes in an early-morning fire Sunday that officials said was the work of an arsonist.

No one was injured in the blaze, which was reported about 5 a.m. in the 900 block of Atwater Boulevard, according to Mark Pimentel, battalion chief for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, Merced County.

The blaze appeared to have been sparked in the alleyway between the five-unit apartment building and Express Tire, the business next door, Pimentel said.

No arrests have been made.

Atwater police Lt. Samuel Joseph said investigators have identified a “person of interest” in the case, but declined to elaborate Sunday, citing a need to protect the investigation.

“Upon arrival, the apartment building was fully involved (in flames) and the building and all the residents were evacuated safely,” Pimentel said. “We were able to save a significant amount of property inside the apartments, despite the fire and smoke damage to some of the units.”

Firefighters placed early damage estimates to the building at $200,000 to $300,000 and said about $1 million in property was saved through their efforts.

Ten adults and one child were displaced by the fire. The American Red Cross was summoned to help the residents find temporary shelter.

Firefighters said two of the apartments sustained major damage, two had minor damage and one was undamaged.

Eleven Cal Fire firefighters responded to the flames, along with four volunteer firefighters from Merced County.

This story was originally published July 26, 2015 at 2:15 PM with the headline "11 displaced by Atwater fire believed to be arson."