The small fire was reported after 10:30 pm on 19th Street between Martin Luther King Jr. Way and K Street.
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Merced police say Thomas Housley lit paper on fire and poured gasoline over it in an attempt to burn down the building.
Investigators believe Housley set the fire after a dispute with other tenants in the building about missing mail.
One of the residents put out the fire before police arrived, and no one was hurt.
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Officers arrested Housley at the scene. He was booked into the Merced County Jail for attempted arson.