Fire clouds future of E. San Jose youth center; backers determined ‘to restore and rebuild’

A DEVASTATING FIRE that recently gutted a vacant youth center in East San Jose hasn’t diminished the community’s desire to restore it for future use.

The former Mexican American Community Services Agency (MACSA) building burned down Friday, breaking the hearts of Eastside advocates who want to revitalize and reuse the space. The Alum Rock Union School District, which owns the property, held an emergency meeting the next day to authorize assessing what remediation and possible demolition needs to occur. The San Jose Fire Department is still investigating the cause of the fire.