By Mike De La Cruz
The Merced Sun-Star (California)
Copyright 2006 The Merced Sun-Star
All Rights Reserved
A three-alarm fire at a Branco Avenue residence in Merced on Tuesday spread to the house next door and to a field behind the house, Fire Chief Ken Mitten said.
There were no injuries reported to the three adults and five children occupying the house when the fire started. Two of the boys had already left for school. Neither the man nor his wife living next door were injured.
No injuries were reported to the firefighters, the chief said.
Living at the 2765 Branco address were: Patrick Slenders, his wife, Melody Slenders, and their children Josh, 12, Nicholas, 15, and P.G., 2.
A female relative and her two children were staying at the house at the time, Patrick Slenders said.
The house where the fire started had a wood shake roof and received damage initially listed at about $350,000.
The house next-door to the south occupied by the Rev. Eddie Goodin and his wife, Joyce, also had a wood shake roof and suffered damage listed at around $100,000.
Mitten said the house to the north had a composition roof and only received about $600 damage to the rain gutters and paint. These are just initial estimates, he said.
“We are looking at the dryer as the cause of the fire,” the chief said.
Mitten said the fire was reported at 7:56 a.m. and firefighters responding to the scene saw flames erupting from the garage.
While firefighters were setting up, a second-alarm was called when the roof and attic of the house next- door caught fire along with a field behind the first structure.
Shortly after, a third alarm was called, bringing an additional engine and chief to the scene.
A Merced County Fire Department engine was called to handle the fire in the field, Mitten said.
“At the height of the incident we had 22 fire personnel and the Merced County engine at the scene,” Mitten said.
The fire was under control within an hour but firefighters were busy mopping up most of the morning, Mitten said. The fire reignited Tuesday night.
A resident of the house said she was getting the children ready for school when she heard what sounded like gunshots in the garage.
“I opened the door, saw the flames, and told the rest of the family to get out,” she said.
Goodin, who is an early riser, had just returned from his daily walk.
“I was getting breakfast ready when I heard a lot of popping like guns,” he said. “When I opened the door, I saw the flames and woke up the wife and had her get out of the house.”
Josie Fimbrez, who lives across the street with her husband, said she was in the back of the house and also heard what she said sounded like gunfire and children screaming.
“I looked out the window and saw the garage engulfed by flames,” she said.
The house is owned by Sharon Reackhoff of Mill Valley, Mitten said.