MADERA – One of the city of Madera’s longest standing buildings was destroyed by fire Monday afternoon. The Madera Mini-Mall building originally built by Captain Russell Perry Mace at the turn of the 20^th century caught fire somewhere near the back of the building, near the old Madera Bowling Alley (Believer's Church), around 3:00 pm and by 5:00 pm the structure was a total loss. Thankfully, no one was injured during this tragic event.

The Mace Hotel, as it was first known, played host to Royalty, Business Tycoons, Presidents, and Presidential hopefuls during its early history. The original wooden structure burnt down in 1885 but was rebuilt at the corner of North ‘E’ Street and Yosemite Avenue soon after, this time using brick.  It was one of the first stops for the stagecoach ride that would take tourists up to the newly created Yosemite National Park. That two-story building stood at the entrance to Downtown Madera until 3:00 pm Monday. Now like the 350 pound Captain Russell Perry Mace who built it, the building is a part of history.

Around 50-80 firemen from over 16 trucks dispatched to Madera from three valley counties battled the first major fire in the downtown area since the old Madera Theater burnt down in November 1940. Fire crews fought the blaze during the afternoon and early evening Monday. Even after it was clear that all was lost, crews stayed on scene to mop up and make sure the smoldering embers did not reignite and take out any more of the block than the original fire consumed. Crews were able to contain the fire to the original structure and did not lose any other downtown buildings.

Cal-Fire has not released a cause for the fire but we are expecting a press release to be issued later Tuesday afternoon.

The fire played havoc with traffic in Madera as all four main arteries into the downtown area were backed up for blocks. The worse was West Fourth Street which was already dealing with traffic from the St Joachim’s Elementary School letting out at the same time as the fire broke out. Plus a funeral was staging across the street at the church. West Yosemite Avenue was bumper to bumper past North K Street. Madera Police were quick to dispatch extra officers to clear up the congestion.

Madera City and County Fire, Merced City and County Fire, Fresno City and County Fire, and CDF crews all converged into the 100 block of East Yosemite to attack the fire from the front and rear of the building. Soon it was clear that they would not be able to save the structure as the first floor collapsed into the basement followed soon after by the second floor and roof.

Two ladder trucks were called in from out of town to contain the flames to the structure’s property. Those trucks finally cleared the scene around 9:30pm. Police are asking folks to stay away from the area as there are possible downed power lines and other hazards in the area.

Madera Mayor Andy Medillian had this to say following Monday’s fire, “I am very saddened by the fire today. This is a big part of Madera's history and a big part of our historic Downtown. I thank God nobody was hurt in this tragic event. Maderans are resilient and we will rebuild! We will work with the building owner, the tenants and the Downtown Association to expedite any processes necessary to rebuild as quickly as possible.”

The Believers Church had a miracle! While the historic Mace Hotel was a complete loss, the churches suffered only a small amount of roof damage, water damage and of course smoke damage. A conference that was scheduled this week at the church is being moved to another location. Services will be held this weekend, but again for the time being at another location.

“The outpouring of love and support from the other churches in this town has been amazing! Is left us speechless and very humbled. Continue to pray that the insurance process goes quickly and we get back into our building as soon as possible. Thank you all for the thousands of prayers that were prayed, God answered them.”, said the Purcell’s on the church's Facebook page.

If there are safety or security concerns regarding structures, buildings, and businesses please contact the Madera Police Department at 559-675-4200.

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