Merced County supervisor injured in devastating house fire

Longtime Merced County Supervisor Deidre Kelsey suffered burn injuries early Sunday morning when her Snelling home burned to the ground.

Kelsey reported the fire in person at the Snelling fire station about 4 a.m., said Mark Pimentel, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection battalion chief.

When firefighters arrived to the home on Merced Falls Road, the house was engulfed. Pimentel said it was too early to comment on the cause of the fire or to say where it started. He did say the fire is not considered suspicious.

“We do not see anything of a suspicious nature at the beginning of this investigation,” the battalion chief said Sunday afternoon.

Firefighters contained the fire shortly before 7 a.m. but remained on scene for several hours afterward mopping up hot spots. Firefighters rescued one of Kelsey’s rat terriers from a second floor of the home. All of the pets escaped the fire without injury, except for one dog that was unaccounted for Sunday.

Firefighters said Kelsey suffered burns to about 25 percent of her body and described the nature of the burns as “minor.” Officials with the Sheriff’s Office said they were informed Kelsey suffered “first-degree burns.”

She was listed in “stable” condition Sunday afternoon at Community Regional Medical Center in Fresno, a hospital official confirmed.

After speaking with family members, Pimentel said, firefighters put early damage estimates at around $600,000 and confirmed the razed home, about 2,500 to 3,000 square feet, was a “total loss.”

Sheriff Vern Warnke said his family’s thoughts and prayers were with Kelsey and her family.

“What a tragic way to end a long career and to begin a retirement with losing your home, a home she’s lived in for decades. It’s just terrible,” Warnke said. “As tough a gal as she is, though, we know she’ll bounce back from this.”

The sheriff said he was hoping for the best for Kelsey and for her pets.

“I know she cherishes her pets,” he said. “It’s a terrible tragedy, a terrible way to begin her new life and a new year.”

Kelsey could not be reached for comment Sunday. Her daughter, Eloise Kelsey Souders, declined to comment and asked for privacy. In a brief post on the Merced Sun-Star’s Facebook page, Kelsey Souders asked for prayers.

“Our family has suffered a mighty loss but thank goodness my mother is alive,” she wrote.

District 3 Supervisor Daron McDaniel received a call from Cal Fire early Sunday morning about the news. He said the news woke him up.

“I was very distraught,” he said, calling Kelsey a colleague and friend. “I thought, ‘Is this really a phone call I’m getting on New Year’s Day?’ ”

Kelsey, 61, attended her last board meeting Dec. 20 after representing District 4 for 21 years. She hoped to spend more time sailing, gardening and spending time with her rat terriers. She announced her intention to retire in July 2015.

Kelsey was appointed to a vacancy on the board in 1995 by then-Gov. Pete Wilson. She took the place of Dean Peterson, who resigned. She was elected to the board in 1996 and went on to win re-election for five terms. District 4 includes Ballico, Gustine, Cressey, Delhi, Hilmar, Snelling, Stevinson, Winton, portions of Atwater and parts of the eastern county.

Her term officially ended Dec. 31. The tragic fire occurred on her first official day of retirement.

During their last board meeting together, McDaniel described Kelsey as a big sister.

“She’s a strong woman,” he said after the fire. “I’ve seen her handle adversity and make a positive out of it. I hope this doesn’t set her back any.”

Prior to becoming supervisor, she served on the Merced County Planning Commission.

During her time on the board, Kelsey became an advocate for the preservation of agriculture land and focused on land use issues, such as community planning. She was chairwoman of the board when it approved an updated general plan for the county in 2013, which was called the most agriculturally protective plan in the county’s history.

Kelsey also spoke out several times over the years about the lack of diversity in board appointments. She appointed most of the women on the planning commission and expressed her hopes for women and minorities to run in the recent elections.

Kelsey developed a reputation over the years as a hardworking and tough-minded advocate for the causes she supported and never was afraid of voicing her opinions or criticizing other high-ranking public officials, including weighing in on a controversial report released publicly in 2014 that “embarrassed” her daughter and put Kelsey’s responsibilities as a supervisor in conflict with her family.

Lloyd Pareira, who was elected to represent Kelsey’s district in November, said he couldn’t imagine going through such a tragedy.

“I can’t imagine retiring, having plans and then having a tragedy like this and having to take a step back,” he said. “It’s lucky she was able to get out. I wish her well.”

Larry Morse II, Merced County district attorney, joined other local officials Sunday in sending his best wishes to the long-serving community leader.

“First and foremost, I’m hoping Deidre is going to be OK, and we’re sending her our very best thoughts,” Morse said. “It’s an incredibly heartbreaking loss to have a family home be lost – emotionally devastating. We’re hoping for nothing but the best for her going forward.”

This story was originally published January 1, 2017 at 9:22 AM with the headline "Merced County supervisor injured in devastating house fire."