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Chimney fire causes $67K in damages to home
A fire sparked Wednesday morning in a Merced home and spread to the attic and roof, city fire officials said.
About 17 Merced city firefighters responded about 10:30 a.m. to 1645 Patricia Lane. Flames were extinguished within 15 minutes, fire Chief Mike McLaughlin said.
A family of three will stay with relatives until the damaged roof can be repaired, fire officials said.
They declined assistance from the American Red Cross.
Two family members were home at the time and managed to escape without injury, firefighters said.
Battalion fire Chief Don Roe estimated damages to the 2,500-square-foot home to be around $67,500, which includes about $15,000 in damaged personal property.
“There was damage to the roof and attic and secondary damage to a bedroom,” Roe said.
Roe said “secondary damage” refers to damages sustained during firefighting efforts, including cutting through the roof to gain access to the blaze.
The incident is not considered suspicious, firefighters said.
Firefighters remained on scene for several hours mopping up smoke and clearing damaged portions of the structure.
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