Kings County ended fire services to Avenal. Here's what to know
The Kings County Board of Supervisors unanimously voted to terminate fire protection services to the city of Avenal, leaving the Central Valley city of more than 13,000 residents without a dedicated fire station. The dispute escalated from a disagreement over the safety of a community center into a legal battle now headed to court on April 22.
Here are key takeaways:
• What happened: The board voted March 28 to end the county’s fire contract with Avenal, citing a breach of contract and declaring a public safety emergency after a dispute over occupancy of the city’s new community center.
• The safety dispute: County fire Chief John Chamberlin said the community center lacked critical life safety systems, including electricity, fire alarms and a functioning sprinkler system. The city disagreed, issued a temporary certificate of occupancy and held its scheduled boxing event anyway.
• Fire coverage now: The county closed Kings County Fire Station 12 in Avenal and reassigned personnel. Fire services are now provided on a mutual aid basis, with support from Cal Fire and Fresno County Fire, though response times may be longer. Emergency medical services remain unchanged through American Ambulance.
• Legal fight: Avenal filed a lawsuit April 1 seeking a temporary restraining order to force the county to continue fire services for six months. A Kings County Superior Court judge denied the request but set a full hearing for April 22.
• Avenal’s response: The city welcomed new fire chief Jacob McAfee and said it is building its own municipal fire department. City officials called the county’s actions “bullying tactics.”
• Prior tensions: Kings County District Attorney Sarah Hacker sued Avenal in December for alleged Brown Act violations over closed meetings in which officials discussed forming their own fire department.
The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists. The source reporting referenced above was written and edited entirely by journalists.
Original stories by Fresno Bee reporter María G. Ortiz-Briones.
