Since January, the Armenian cemetery in Fresno, California, has been targeted by an arsonist; six total incidents have burned 19 old-growth trees, reports KMPH Fox 26.
On Friday night, eight trees were set on fire along the beautiful main entrance of the Fresno Ararat Armenian Cemetery, the only Armenian cemetery outside of Armenia and the Middle East. Both Fresno Police and Fire have been called out to the Belmont and Hughes property, but no arrests have been made.
The cemetery’s Board is very concerned that all of the incidents are targeted hate crimes.
The cemetery is the burial place of many prominent Armenian figures, including Soghomon Tehlirian, William Saroyan, Victor Maghakian, and more.
“As you can imagine, this is horribly upsetting to my Board of Directors, the Armenian community, and my staff and me. We are the only Armenian cemetery outside Armenia and the Middle East; our mission is to serve Armenian families with compassion in their time of need while also keeping alive the memory of all who are buried here. The Board, my staff, and I take this mission very seriously. It would be impossible to overstate how upsetting this is to us,” said Sheri Manning-Cartwright, Executive Director/Administrator of Ararat Masis Ararat Armenian Cemetery.
The fires have been in the oldest part of the cemetery, founded in 1885. There are gates and an archway that clearly identify the property as Armenian. This is concerning with the upcoming Armenian Genocide Commemoration Day, April 24.
The estimate to remove and replace the trees is approximately $25,000. The Board of Directors is not sure if insurance will cover the cost.
