(rshsdepot) Winton, CA

["Bernie Wagenblast" <brwagenblast_@_home.com>]

Blaze damages Winton rail station-turned-home

BEE STAFF REPORTS
Sacramento Bee


WINTON -- Fire struck Saturday at the old Santa Fe Railway station, which is
now a home, on Santa Fe Drive.

One injury was reported, to a firefighter who suffered smoke inhalation,
according to the Merced County Fire Department. The firefighter was treated
and released.

The family living in the house made it out safely, after owner Kevin Bever
smelled smoke while making coffee at 6 a.m.

The fire caused extensive damage to the two-story structure at 6120 Santa Fe
Drive. The structure was built in 1911.

Firefighters said the fire appears to have been caused by an electrical
problem in a wall. Flames spread quickly into the attic.

Bever said he had been remodeling the house for five years and was nearly
finished with the renovation.

It took firefighters more than two hours to contain the fire and several
more hours to get the flames completely out.

After getting his family out of the house, Bever started looking for the
fire under the house and in the attic. He said he pulled a small section of
siding off the outside of the home and saw fire inside the wall near the
bathroom. He tried to douse the fire with a garden hose, but the flames
spread quickly.

Investigators said the fire caused an estimated $200,000 worth of damage to
the house, and $100,000 to the contents.

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