MONTEREY COUNTY — County of Monterey is providing assistance to the County of San Benito after a recent fire affected their administrative offices, resulting in the loss of essential office furniture and supplies.
On Sept. 8, Hollister firefighters responded to a fire in the vicinity of Fifth and Monterey, which was successfully contained within 20 minutes of arrival, with no reported injuries. Although the fire’s cause remains under investigation, initial findings suggest it may have originated within a storage room.
The fire resulted in temporary closure of the County of San Benito’s Offices of the Tax Collector, Assessor and Elections for the safety of employees and the public.
“Due to the severity of the fire damage, the building has been deemed unusable, necessitating the relocation of the affected county offices to temporary locations to ensure the continuity of operations for these vital departments,” stated San Benito County Administrative Officer Ray Espinosa.
As the County of San Benito re-establishes these operations, the County of Monterey is offering support through the donation of truckloads of furniture and office supplies that were stored at a county building following recent staffing relocations.
“As our region partner, the County of San Benito has expeditiously responded to our requests for coordination and collaboration, we are grateful for the opportunity to do the same,” said Sonia M. De La Rosa, County of Monterey administrative officer. “We stand ready to continue to support as the County of San Benito restores their service delivery in these key offices.”
More donations are expected to go out this week.
