Visalia ‘Monster House’ Mysteriously Burns

The so-called Monster House of Visalia burned to the ground Monday, prompting an attorney for the owner to charge that the giant structure was destroyed by “the politics of envy.”

“In my humble view, someone couldn’t stand the thought of this man having his dream house,” said Merl Ledford, who represents Gilbert Marroquin. “It’s blatant racism.”

Marroquin, 43, a onetime farm worker who rose to a position of wealth and influence in the Central Valley ranching community of Visalia, was building a 25,000-square-foot mansion on the city’s southwest side. The project infuriated neighbors, who circulated petitions and complained that the mammoth structure didn’t fit the neighborhood.

At about 3 a.m., Monday, the half-finished domed structure caught fire and was destroyed, the Visalia Fire Department said. Seven engines, three trucks and 45 firefighters responded from the city of Visalia and Tulare County.

The fences of several neighboring homes also burned, but the structures were saved. No one was injured.

“The Fire Department did an excellent job of protecting surrounding structures,” said Mayor Don Landers.

“One could speculate as to the possible cause,” Landers said, but fire officials were not speculating. Visalia officials declined to say whether arson is suspected. A spokesman said the department has requested investigative help from the California Department of Forestry and the state fire marshal.

If fire investigators were cautious, the owner and the neighbors were quite willing to say what they thought. Ledford said he heard about the fire at 4:30 in the morning, when Marroquin called him in tears.

“He told me somebody burned his house down,” said Ledford. “It just blows my mind that this could happen. He’s worked hard all his life. This is a man who would give you the shirt off his back. A man who’s given not one school bus to transport kids to clinics but a fleet.”

Marroquin’s philanthropy is well known. He has raised money for several causes, including an orphanage in Mexico. Ledford said the mansion was going to be used, in part, to house missionary families needing a place to rest between labors abroad.

A married father of three, Marroquin made his money as a farm labor contractor. He also owns a cold storage business. An accident that knocked the power out to the storage unit several months ago cost him $3 million in spoiled grapes, and forced him to seek protection from creditors under a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing.

Marroquin’s dream house, which would have contained 10 baths, two elevators and twin spiral staircases, was half-finished. Work had stopped months ago. The city had red-tagged the structure and said it might be torn down unless work resumed. As recently as 10 days ago, Marroquin pledged to finish the house, saying his financial problems were being worked out.

The project upset neighbors, who said the giant structure loomed over their homes and threatened property values.

The fire, said neighbor Carol Rodriguez, “was my worst nightmare and my best fantasy.” On the one hand, the blaze threatened her home and forced her family to evacuate. Her house was spared, but her fence burned and six windows cracked from the heat.

“On the other hand, now that my house is safe, I’m thrilled it’s gone,” she said of the mansion, nicknamed the Monster House in the neighborhood.

As for who might have started the fire, she noted that she was a leader of the neighborhood opposition group. So “you could call me a suspect,” she joked.

Ironically, her husband, Carlos, is the fire chief in Visalia. Because his house was threatened by the fire, and because the city was embroiled in the controversy, the city removed jurisdiction over the investigation from him, she said.

Though Marroquin’s supporters said he worked hard to earn his fortune, the source of his wealth has been the subject of rumors around town. “I heard on the street about money laundering,” said Ledford. “ . . . It’s the politics of envy in a small town.”

He said racism is not a serious problem in Visalia, but Marroquin’s success made him a target.