A deadly fire in Merced is under investigation.
It happened at a home on East 21st Street near Yosemite Parkway.
Neighbors spotted smoke coming from the home around 3:30 Tuesday afternoon and called 9-1-1.
The fire was contained to one room of the house... A bedroom where the victim was found.
"It appears to be possibly a homeless person. The house was boarded up. Looked like it had been vacant for some time," said Jeff Horta, Battalion Chief with the Merced Fire Department.
Police took part in the investigation because someone died.
Merced Sheriff and Coroner Mark Pazin visited the scene of the fire and says at this point there does not appear to be any foul play.
"Obviously we'll do complete toxicology. Was there other issues, contributing factors such as drugs or alcohol that caused him to doze off," Pazin said.
The house is condemned. No power, no utilities.
Neighbors didn't want to be interviewed on camera but they say the home has been vacant for years. At one point there was no front door. And transients would go in and out.
Fire officials say the door to the bedroom where the fire started was locked from the inside. And towels and clothes were stuffed along the bottom of the door, possibly to keep heat in. But it kept the smoke in as the fire smoldered.
"The message here is don't use fire inside a house where it's not supposed to be," Horta said.
An autopsy is scheduled for Wednesday to determine exactly how the man died.
It happened at a home on East 21st Street near Yosemite Parkway.
Neighbors spotted smoke coming from the home around 3:30 Tuesday afternoon and called 9-1-1.
The fire was contained to one room of the house... A bedroom where the victim was found.
"It appears to be possibly a homeless person. The house was boarded up. Looked like it had been vacant for some time," said Jeff Horta, Battalion Chief with the Merced Fire Department.
Police took part in the investigation because someone died.
Merced Sheriff and Coroner Mark Pazin visited the scene of the fire and says at this point there does not appear to be any foul play.
"Obviously we'll do complete toxicology. Was there other issues, contributing factors such as drugs or alcohol that caused him to doze off," Pazin said.
The house is condemned. No power, no utilities.
Neighbors didn't want to be interviewed on camera but they say the home has been vacant for years. At one point there was no front door. And transients would go in and out.
Fire officials say the door to the bedroom where the fire started was locked from the inside. And towels and clothes were stuffed along the bottom of the door, possibly to keep heat in. But it kept the smoke in as the fire smoldered.
"The message here is don't use fire inside a house where it's not supposed to be," Horta said.
An autopsy is scheduled for Wednesday to determine exactly how the man died.