Fire at central Fresno tile shop three days after owner said, ‘I’m going to be next’

Another Central Fresno business is left scorched by fire.

“A lot of stuff. Samples. Mexican handmade tile,” Art Terzian said about his tile showroom to Action News on Friday.

It is the third fire at Blackstone and McKinley in three weeks.

The former Carl’s Jr. across the street burned down late last month, and a vacant stucco facility caught fire earlier this week.

RELATED: Fire burns 2 vacant buildings in Central Fresno near former Carl’s Jr.

Terzian first told Action News on Tuesday that it was a matter of time.

“I’m thinking I’m going to be next,” he said after the two previous fires.

RELATED: Central Fresno business owners fear they’re next after recent fires

By Friday at 4 a.m., a small fire drew a large response. Investigators feared it could spread to the 2,900 pallets of tile inside.

“They don’t understand that,” Terzian said. “They just say, ‘junk,'” he said, referring to the City of Fresno.

Firefighters responded early Friday to a commercial building fire in central Fresno, the third in less than three weeks in the same area.

Terzian is in a bitter court battle with City Hall. His property and at least 16 others are under the city’s control, after officials purchased them to make room for a major railroad project.

Terzian claims he cannot get his inventory out.

“This is completely false,” Fresno City Attorney Andrew Janz said. “We’ve been working since March of last year. We’ve set aside $1.5 million to relocate the property.”

Janz says Terzian has been less than cooperative.

“I want to be absolutely clear that if there is any damage to his property, it’s going to be on him, and not the city,” Janz said.

Terzian wants more security. Officials say they already have around-the-clock protection.

But earlier this week, Action News saw a woman inside the tile shop’s back lot. We asked the City Attorney how that could happen.

“There was a part of the property that the city didn’t have access to, and the property owner — the previous property owner — did have access to,” Janz said.

The city has since cut the locks and now has full access.

However, Terzian is still predicting that another fire will occur, fearing it will bring the entire building down.

He does not have insurance.

“That’s part of life,” he said. “What else am I going to do?”

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