Madera County Cal Fire Chief Matthew Watson is finally seeing the retirement light at the end of the tunnel. After originally setting his retirement date at the end of last year, Watson had to postpone his retirement as Division Chief of Cal Fire Madera Division Operations for a couple of months. He finally has retirement coming and is hosting a celebration on Saturday at the Madera VFW Hall (2026 Granada Drive) from 5-9 p.m. Watson says it’s a “Stop and Go Party.” “I’ve been in Madera for 10 years,” Watson said. “It felt like two years. There’s been a lot of change in Madera County and Madera City since I was a part of it.” Two of the biggest things that Watson was able to do during his 10-year tenure as Madera’s fire chief is opening not one, but two brand new firehouses.