A pole barn filled with thousands of apricot trays caught fire
Tuesday night, sending 100-foot flames into the sky above Thomas
Orchards and threatening nearby structures.
Hollister – A pole barn filled with thousands of apricot trays caught fire Tuesday night, sending 100-foot flames into the sky above Thomas Orchards and threatening nearby structures.
Apricots harvested 10 days ago and set out to dry were destroyed along with the trays, the barn and a tractor. Arturo Fernandez, the orchard’s manager, said he didn’t know how much fruit was lost. He noted that labor shortages caused a delayed drying.
The blaze consumed about 5,600 trays worth $35,000, Fernandez said.
“It’s part of life,” Fernandez said. “I’m alive. I can build new ones.”
In his 33 years with the business, Fernandez said he had never seen anything like the stunning flames Tuesday night.
Fernandez said he has seen people trespassing on the orchard grounds. He said he believes such a person started the fire.
“How are you going to stop these kids who are staying up 24 hours a day?” Fernandez said. “And it’s true what is going on.”
The cause of the fire is under investigation, CalFire Arson Investigator and Bureau Chief Mark Kendall said Wednesday. Kendall as of Wednesday had determined the fire was not electrical, he said.
The fire began at about 10:30pm Tuesday in unincorporated San Benito County off Wright Road and could be seen from many parts of Hollister.
Twenty-eight firefighters from the Hollister Fire Department, San Benito County Fire Department and CalFire were called to ensure the blaze did not spread to nearby barns and homes. CalFire Battalion Chief Phil Matteson said the agencies, along with the San Juan Bautista Fire Department, sent four fire engines and two water tankers.
