'Disbelief' hits owners, employees as downtown Visalia looks to rebuild after fire

In the aftermath of a devastating fire that tore through three downtown Visalia businesses, the owners and their employees are working to pick up the pieces and figure out what's next for the scarred city block.

On May 1, a fire spread from a dumpster behind Alejandra's Mexican Restaurant to the building before consuming the Main Street businesses and damaging three others: Sage Salon Suites, the Visalia Fox Theatre and Quesadilla Gorilla.

Dozens of employees at Alejandra's, Jimmy John's and Decor de Amore evacuated the businesses and watched their livelihoods burn to the ground.

"We're still in shock," Alejandra's general manager Saul Altamirano said this week. "It's been 48 hours, and we're still in disbelief."

No one was injured in the three-alarm blaze that shuttered downtown for hours as crews from around Tulare County battled the flames, sending tens of thousands of gallons of water gushing down Main Street gutters.

Alejandra's longtime owner, Roque Salinas, has pledged to rebuild.

"We can't let the community down," he told Altamirano. "They've supported us for 28 years, and we will continue to support them — a fire won't stop us."

A GoGundMe fundraiser will help the restaurant's 29 employees with their expenses while they search for new jobs, Altamirano said. Many of the employees had worked at the eatery for decades; at least one server has never had another job, he said.

The fundraiser has netted $9,000 of its $25,000 goal.

"We're just a big family," he said. "Our longest employee has worked at Alejandra's for 22 years. I think that speaks volumes."

The family atmosphere and top-notch service are qualities that patrons have responded to for the past three decades. Visalia foodies lamented the restaurant's indefinite closure in the wake of the fire.

"My heart is breaking for the owners and staff at Alejandra's," Lora Keen Griffith wrote on social media. "This is our favorite restaurant. For over 20-plus years, we’ve had so many good meals and good times there."

Decor to Adore — no more

While one downtown legacy aims to emerge from the ashes, an up-and-coming home decor shop has to call it quits.

Decor to Adore owner Brenda Chavez said the second fire to raze her small business in eight months is a challenge she can't overcome.

"It's a nightmare," she said. "We lost everything — twice."

The shop's first iteration suffered heavy damage when a fire started last August on Houston Avenue and Ben Maddox Way.

The cause of that fire remains under investigation.

On Monday, police arrested the man who they believe started the downtown fire, almost before the ashes had settled. Jessie Hager, 56, of Visalia, faces two counts of felony arson and a little over six years in prison, if convicted.

"I don't know why they did it," Chavez said of the alleged arsonist. "I don't know why both my stores burned down."

Chavez worked at the Visalia Hobby Lobby for 11 years before pursuing her passion — home decor. She opened Decor to Adore downtown on Nov. 22.

Because the business was in between insurance policies, Chavez says she stands to lose up to $60,000. Her family organized an online fundraiser to help defray those costs.

"Business was starting to pick up," she said. "We were new to town, and there were a lot of people who didn't know us yet."

Now, Chavez says, they likely never will.

"I can't go through this again," she said.

Downtown's future at stake

Downtown Visalia still had yet to recover from the damage caused by a 2018 blaze that gutted a city block just across the street from Alejandra's.

The boarded-up lot is covered by a mural that was meant to be temporary but has now stood for nearly four years. Of the four businesses destroyed by that blaze, only one — Pacific Treasure & Gourmet — remains downtown.

Could the same fate be in store for the seemingly prime real estate located just steps away from the historic Fox Theatre?

Mayor Steve Nelsen says no.

"The property owner is very, very driven (to rebuild)," he said. "It's refreshing to hear, but there's no timeline yet."

In the meantime, Downtown Visalians has organized its own fundraiser to support displaced employees. The downtown association, also headed by Nelsen, has raised $4,000 in just two days, he said.

"If we can keep the momentum up, we can hopefully make a real difference in the lives of the employees who were affected by this tragic incident," he said. "A lot of firefighters will tell you if they have to go through one devastating fire in their career, that's a lot.

"We've had two fires."

The Tulare County Workforce Investment Board is also working with Alejandra's to educate staff about programs — including scholarships, utility and rental assistance — that are available to help.

The office is located just across the street from Alejandra's on Main, making it a convenient place for the workers and management to meet, Business Resource Specialist Ryan Leasure said.

He noted that fires have become the most common reason for the board's rapid response team to spring into action to help dislocated employees.

"Whether they experienced fire from another event, or lost work through the pandemic ... It's a tragedy," he said. "People are really struggling."

Joshua Yeager is a reporter with the Visalia Times-Delta and a Report for America corps member. He covers Tulare County news deserts with a focus on the environment and local governments.

Follow him on Twitter @VTD_Joshy. Get alerts and keep up on all things Tulare County for as little as $1 a month. Subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Visalia Times-Delta: 'Disbelief' hits owners, employees as downtown Visalia looks to rebuild