Circle IC News - Two homes destroyed in Oroville wildfire

Chico Enterprise Record -:

OROVILLE -- Two homes, two vehicles and five outbuildings were destroyed Wednesday when a fire burned 20 acres of vegetation.

In addition, one dog died in the blaze and two other dogs are reported missing, according to Cal Fire-Butte County Public Information Officer Janet Upton.

The initial report of the fire off Circle Drive in the foothills southeast of Oroville occurred at 2:58 p.m The blaze was contained by 5 p.m.

Joshua Byerly, who lives with his uncle on Patenaude Court off Circle Drive, was inside his residence when the fire broke out. Byerly said he was the first to see the fire.

"I was inside the house and the power suddenly went out at 2:58 p.m.," Byerly said. "I looked out the window and saw a power line was down and saw sparking and a fire started in the field next to the house. I called 9-1-1. The fire was too big to put out with a garden hose. I then ran to move my truck to allow room for the fire engines and ran down the driveway to meet the first fire engines."

The fire burned very close to Byerly's home before firefighters stopped it.

"Thanks to the firefighters for your quick response and for saving me and my uncle's house," he said.

Byerly said when he reported the fire, it was about 25 feet wide and when it hit the woodlands, it really took off.

The "Circle Incident fire" was a wind-and-slope-driven blaze that burned through thick woodlands, oak trees and heavy brush. Upton confirmed Cal Fire investigators found the cause to be a

downed power line on Patenaude Court.

Upton also confirmed that two homes were destroyed: one on Patenaude Court and another on Pioneer Trail. Upton said the fire also burned two vehicles and five outbuildings.

Precautionary advisory evacuations were issued with assistance from the Butte County Sheriff's Office and California Highway Patrol. These were conducted along a half-mile area on Mt. Ida Road between Robin Hill Lane and Adriatic Way.

Also, eight homes along Pioneer Trail were threatened, so advisory evacuations were issued for those homes as well, Upton said.

Two helicopters, four air tankers, an air tactical fixed-wing aircraft and one training air tactical aircraft were deployed to the fire.

Initial reports by firefighters indicated about 10 acres were burned and homes were being threatened.

Firefighters saw the power line that dropped into the vegetation and said it was touching a cattle fence that had become charged.

"Power lines down. Power lines down," echoed repeatedly over the radios, warning firefighters to use extra caution.

One firefighter suffered a minor heat-related illness. He was rehabilitated and went back on the fire line.

PG&E crews arrived to de-energize the power lines while firefighters battled the blaze. Mop-up operations were expected to continue through the night, Upton said.

A separate fire broke out on Acacia Avenue a few minutes after the fire started off Circle Drive. At about 3 p.m., a fire was reported behind 37 Acacia Ave. It spread into a drainage slope area between Stanford Avenue School and the Shady Rest Mobile Home Park, according to Battalion Chief Les Bowers of the Oroville City Fire Department.

It was contained after burning about a half-acre of vegetation. The cause remains undetermined.

Paula M. Felipe is a reporter for the Oroville Mercury-Register.