‘Totally and utterly heartbroken. Rest in peace.’ Fatal library tragedy shakes Porterville

Residents gathered Wednesday morning to get a glimpse of the burned-down city library, share stories and mourn the loss of two firefighters who died in the massive blaze the previous night.

“Everybody is in a state of shock,” Marylls Emerson said near a Tulare County Fire truck, one of several parked around the downtown block.

She came to add flowers to a makeshift memorial of candles, flowers and notes outside the nearby Porterville Fire Department in honor of Capt. Ramon “Ray” Figueroa, 35, and firefighter Patrick Jones, 25.

One read: “Totally and utterly heartbroken. Rest in peace.”

President Donald Trump also noted the men in his opening remarks during a visit to Bakersfield on Wednesday afternoon: “Two brave firemen died last night in Porterville and I want to pay my respects.”

Two 13-year-old Porterville boys were arrested and charged with manslaughter, arson and conspiracy, authorities said.

The fire department is next to the library and was close as residents could get to the building built in 1953. The structure was so old it lacked the fire sprinklers required in modern buildings and had numerous other structural problems, according to city officials.

Library was open when fire began

Officials closed several blocks around the library Wednesday as fire crews continued cleaning up the rubble of the 67-year-old building, which caught fire around 4:14 p.m. Tuesday and burned through most of the night.

City Hall and Bank of America were closed for the day.

The library was open at the time the fire started, according to Tulare County Fire Department spokesperson Joanne Bear.

All the patrons and employees were evacuated and there were no additional reports of injuries, she said. In all, 55 to 60 firefighters from area departments helped battle the blaze into Wednesday morning.

Porterville police believe the fire was intentionally set by the teenagers who were seen running from the area after the fire began. They were later taken into custody and booked into the Juvenile Detention facility.

Emerson hadn’t hear about the arrests. She did not find out about the fire until Wednesday morning.

The flowers, bought just around the corner at Carmen’s Flower Shop, were her way of recognizing the importance of the library to the community.

She said the library was a gathering place, where everyone in town could, and would, go, regardless of age of social status. Seniors would go there for access to computers. Students used it for reference works.

“It was a refuge — for years,” Emerson said.

Upgrades to library put off

A second story was added to the library in the 1970s and the city had long discussed upgrading the building.

As recently as last month, the Porterville City Council discussed proposals. In a staff report, officials noted that the plan was to build a new library of between 48,250 and 53,000 square feet, with construction estimated to cost between $20 million and $25 million.

The hope was to begin construction in the 2023-24 fiscal year, according to the January report to the council.

The library is a huge loss for the community, compounded by the loss of lives, Emerson said: “It’s overwhelming. There are no words for that kind of commitment to the community.”

Friends and family also passed through Wednesday morning, including a group of men who went to high school with Figueroa in Delano. One drove up from San Diego after hearing the news.

Figueroa’s family met with members of the fire department. His brother Zachariah Figueroa stopped to lay a cross of red and white roses at the memorial. He was too shaken to talk.

Figueroa started his career with Porterville City Fire in 2007 and moved up the ranks. He had recently moved to Bakersfield with his family. Jones had been with the department since 2017.

This story was originally published February 19, 2020 at 2:53 PM with the headline "‘Totally and utterly heartbroken. Rest in peace.’ Fatal library tragedy shakes Porterville."