Fire breaks out at Stanislaus County Fair building. Cause under investigation
An early morning fire broke out in a structure at the Stanislaus County Fairgrounds on Wednesday, damaging one of the fair buildings.
At around 3:20 a.m. Wednesday, Modesto firefighters were dispatched to what was initially reported as a “tent fire” on the 800 block of Soderquist Road at the fairgrounds, according to the department’s daily incident report. Crews arrived on scene to find a building in flames, and the call was upgraded to a commercial working structure fire with Turlock City Fire and Modesto fire working together.
The fire extended up the wall and onto the roof of a single-story commercial building used as a kitchen and gathering hall, according to a news release issued Wednesday morning. Crews brought the fire under control within 30 minutes.
The approximately 3,000-square-foot building, known as the “old cafeteria,” is used during the Stanislaus County Fair as a baby care center and lounge for visitors. Stanislaus County Faire CEO Matt Cranford said the building recently had upgrades done to its air conditioning unit and audio-visual equipment inside. It is used throughout the year by community groups, including the Turlock Rotary, who hold meetings inside.
Cranford said it’s too soon to assess the cost of repairs to the building, though he said the blaze did extensive damage to the front of the building and holes can be seen in its walls. No cause has been determined yet for the start of the fire. He estimates the building has been on the fairgrounds since at least the World War II era.
Firefighters who mounted “an aggressive fire attack kept the fire in check” which the report said kept the fire from spreading further into the building. No injuries were reported. The Fire Investigation Unit is investigating the incident. The cause has not yet been determined.
The Turlock Police Department, AMR, PG&E and TID all assisted during the fire fight.
Cranford said all scheduled events at the fairgrounds will proceed as planned including this weekend’s two-day Dazed on the Green Music Festival & Cannabis Expo featuring artists like Wiz Khalifa and Queensryche.
Cranford said repairing the building will be a priority for the fairgrounds, and he expects work to be completed well before the start of next summer’s fair in July.
This story was originally published September 14, 2022 at 10:52 AM.
