First published in THE RECORDER recorder@portervillerecorder.com

• BY ESTHER AVILA eavila@portervillerecorder.com

• Jul 9, 2021 Updated Jul 9, 2021

POPLAR – It only took a couple of minutes for a rogue grass and tree fire to engulf numerous businesses on Road 192 just north of Highway 190 in Poplar Friday afternoon, witnesses said.

Destroyed by fire was a mini mart which housed a taqueria eatery and meat market, a hair salon, a bakery, and the garage of the Larry Itliong Research Center, which they had filled with clothing, miscellaneous supplies, diapers, and fresh, dry and canned food.

And it all happened as 75 youth, ages 12 and older, gathered at the Larry Itliong Research Center, a place used for community events, for the multi-agency event which was including COVID19 vaccinations for youth and adults, clothing and backpack giveaway for Back-to-School for the students, a community food giveaway, and educational information for farm laborers. Nobody was hurt as a result of the fire.

“We had the kids all lined up for the vaccines. We were about to start when we heard someone shouting into a microphone to get out,” said Mari Perez-Ruiz, executive director of Central Valley Empowerment Alliance Services who was hosting the event. “We didn't know what was going on but then we felt the heat before we saw the flames. Then in seconds it started jumping to all the businesses and everything was on fire.”

She waded through water to get to the garage.

“It's all gone,” she said as she wiped away tears. “We had four or five outfits for each student and we had 400 backpacks filled with books and school supplies. We didn't give them out. Not a single one. They all burned.”

Perez-Ruiz said they tried to salvage as much as possible but it didn't look good. The backpacks could be seen leaning against a fence that separates them from the trees that started the fire.

“There's nothing left of them,” she said again and cried as she pointed to the charred backpacks. “We were giving away 400 backpacks and they all burned. We didn't even give out one.”

And it happened fast, said the owners of La Potosina, a Mexican bakery destroyed in the fire.

“There was a lot of people here. There was loud music and suddenly someone got on the microphone and started shouting 'Get out. Get out,'” said Sylvia Almanza, who owns the bakery with Gregorio Rodriguez.

“We never heard any explosions at all,” Rodriguez said. “But everyone got out. No one was hurt and there were so many people here for the event.”

But before they knew it, numerous businesses were gone.

“In a community like this, we already live with so little. The impact for Poplar is so much greater,” Perez-Ruiz said. “I'm concerned it took so long for the firemen to get here.”

The building that now houses the Larry Itliong Resource Center is 100 years old, she said, and used to be the Poplar Fire Department.

Multiple agencies reported to the scene, including Cal Fire, Tulare County Fire Department, California Highway Patrol, Tulare County Sheriff's Office and Imperial Ambulance.