Fresno-area McDonald’s that caught on fire and was destroyed getting rebuilt

A Fresno-area McDonald’s that was destroyed by a fire a couple of years ago finally is getting rebuilt.

Construction has been ongoing for the past few weeks at the southwest corner of the Clovis and Ashlan avenues intersection, where the McDonald’s at Tarpey Village had been located.

On Tuesday, Fresno County issued a permit that green-lights McDonald’s to build the foundation of a new building at the location, which is expected to be a more modern McDonald’s restaurant.

“It’s 99% certain that another McDonald’s will be placed there,” said Nathan Magsig, a Fresno County Board of Supervisors member.

Multiple messages left with McDonald’s Corporate, which is based in Chicago, were not returned.

In November 2023, a fire broke out at the McDonald’s at Tarpey Village. The cause of the fire was linked to a possible faulty fan motor in the HVAC system, according to the Fresno County Fire Department.

Though Fresno Fire officials estimated that about 80% of the restaurant had been saved, McDonald’s Corporate, which owns the restaurant, as well as the land, elected to tear down the entire building.

Yet a tall McDonald’s sign still remained, as well as the restaurant’s foundation — creating curiosity of what would become of the location.

Then near the start of July, demolition work began to remove the old foundation.

“Sometimes in the fast food industry, it’s tough to retrofit what the needs are of today, so they rebuild completely,” Magsig said.

It was not immediately known when the McDonald’s at Tarpey Village would be rebuilt and eventually reopened.

The McDonald’s at Tarpey Village was the only national fast food chain with drive-thru service along Clovis Avenue for about a 3-mile stretch, spanning south of Shaw Avenue to Olive Avenue.