Fire destroys Pajaro Valley crematorium; no human remains inside

A late-night fire burned a crematorium to the ground, but no human remains were inside at the time and a nearby mausoleum containing hundreds of urns and crypts sustained only superficial damage.

The Pajaro Valley Memorial Park crematorium on Hecker Pass Road wasn’t in use when the fire was reported around 11:40 p.m. Thursday. However, the blaze was challenging to battle because firefighters were concerned human remains might be damaged or destroyed by the flames, according to Battalion Chief Greg Estrada with Pajaro Valley Fire District.

“It was a slow process because we weren’t really sure if we had remains of people. We had to be diligent,” Estrada said. “We wanted to make sure we were doing the right thing for the family for respect.”

There were no bodies or remains inside the burning building, he said.

Fire investigators are still probing the cause of the blaze, but do not suspect foul play, Estrada said.

A barking dog alerted the on-site caretaker late Thursday. He stepped outside, saw the fire and called 911.

Fire crews from Pajaro Valley, Watsonville, Corralitos, Cal Fire, Aptos/La Selva, Central, North Monterey County and South Santa Clara County were called in to help battle the two-alarm fire.

Thirty-foot flames were shooting through the roof of the crematorium when firefighters arrived. The blaze destroyed the crematorium and the 1,000-square-foot structure surrounding it, Estrada said.

“Our concern, if we did get significant amount of smoke into that building, (was) what we would do?” Estrada said. “But we were able to hold the fire, push the fire back onto the original building and keep it out of the mausoleum.”

He said the masonry construction of the building contributed to firefighters protecting it.

“That was the saving grace for us,” Estrada said. “That really helped us to prevent the spread.”

The blaze did cause about $500,000 in smoke damage to the mausoleum but the building was inspected by the county Friday and declared structurally sound, according to fire officials.

Estrada said the crematorium fire is the first of its kind in the county in at least 10 years.

West Coast 911 source – Story by Santa Cruz Sentinel