A fire at 1300 B St. early Tuesday morning left the Merced Cemetery District office temporarily unusable, adding another disruption for a district that has undergone several changes in recent months.
Merced firefighters were dispatched to the cemetery at about 5:40 a.m. Aug. 25 after receiving a report of a structure fire, according to Jennifer Flachman, public information officer for the city of Merced.
Firefighters arrived to find light smoke coming from the office building and contained the fire to the office area within about 15 minutes, Flachman said.
While the fire itself caused minimal damage, the building sustained significant smoke damage throughout the office space, leaving it uninhabitable.
Two fire engines, one ladder truck and a battalion chief responded, with 11 Merced Fire Department personnel involved.
Cemetery district staff are working to establish a temporary office location so operations and services can continue.
“We are checking with the insurance company and what alternatives we can use to get our office up and running,” said Dora Crane, board president of the cemetery district.
The cause of the fire remained under investigation Tuesday. Fire officials said there was no indication the fire was intentionally set, and arson was not suspected.
The fire comes less than a week after an Aug. 20 meeting that brought several changes to a cemetery district that has faced months of turmoil involving its board, employees and legal representation.
Daniel Spielman Jr. joined the board of trustees at the Aug. 20 meeting upon appointment by the Merced County Board of Supervisors.
Former Trustee Rafael Vega-Coyazo’s term expired on July 1. Court records showed he was reappointed by the Merced County Board of Supervisors in 2023.
Board Secretary and Trustee Rachelle Abril also has been absent from the district’s last two regular meetings on July 16 and Aug. 20.
The Aug. 20 meeting also marked the first with new legal representation since the district hired Robbins, Browning, Godwin & Marchini LLP. After the July board meeting, the attorney hired to represent the cemetery district resigned.
Attorney Darin DuPont represented the firm during the meeting and regularly advised trustees about meeting procedures and requirements under the Brown Act, California’s open-meeting law.
DuPont is no stranger to public meetings. He currently represents District 1 on the Merced City Council and is running for the California state senate District 14 seat.
The cemetery district’s most recent board meeting was noticeably calmer than previous gatherings, which included repeated disagreements between trustees and cemetery employees over finances, board authority, legal representation and meeting procedures.
At the Aug. 20 meeting, trustees and employees moved through the agenda without the confrontations that characterized earlier meetings.
