Fire in four-plex displaces nine residents

A bedroom fire in one unit of a four-plex displaced six adults and three children Sunday morning.

The Modesto Fire Department responded to a structure fire in the 2300 block of Oakdale Road near Merle Avenue at 9 a.m., said Battalion Chief Hugo Patino.

The fire blew out the windows of a back bedroom of the unit, whose resident was not at home at the time. Firefighters were able to control the blaze in about 15 minutes, but had to release smoke by cutting a hole in the building’s attic, shared by all four units. Electrical power was also taken out by the fire.

While only one unit was burned, all four were rendered uninhabitable, Patino said. The American Red Cross was called in to help those displaced find temporary housing.

This story was originally published May 8, 2016 at 8:00 PM with the headline "Fire in four-plex displaces nine residents."