River Fire: Homes leveled, thousands evacuated near Colfax as crews brace for wind

The River Fire that swept through a neighborhood near Colfax destroyed several homes and numerous vehicles as the flames roared over a hillside Wednesday afternoon, and Cal Fire teams worked early Thursday to stamp out flareups as they braced for red flag winds expected to sweep through the area throughout the day.

Officials listed the fire at 0% containment, but there was no sign of the huge smoke plume that exploded over the area Wednesday afternoon and forced the evacuation of most of the city of Colfax. Instead, the skies were mostly clear and blue Thursday around the Chicago Park area, which was still sealed off to residents.

Fire activity was moving to the west and north, away from Colfax, as of Thursday morning.

A red flag warning remains in place through 9 p.m. — the National Weather Service warns gusts could reach 35 mph. Cal Fire in a morning briefing said winds are expected to surface around 1 p.m. in the area of the fire.

The wildfire grew at a furious pace in the hours after it sparked Wednesday afternoon, north of Applegate in the Sierra Nevada foothills. It has consumed 2,400 acres and destroyed at least 50 structures, including homes, Cal Fire said Thursday morning.

A report from the National Interagency Fire Center said at least 40 homes have been destroyed, and another 20 damaged, but that damage assessment was “difficult to establish” due to nightfall and fire activity. At least 20 other, minor structures were damaged or destroyed.

The report said at least two civilians were injured; a water tender driver suffered minor burns, the federal summary said. More than 500 fire personnel are assigned to the incident.

‘Today is kind of a tipping point’

Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Thursday that California has secured a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to respond to the River Fire, which will allow local and state agencies to apply for 75% reimbursement of fire suppression costs from a presidential disaster relief fund.

Placer County Devon Bell was hopeful that firefighters would continue to make progress Thursday.

“I think today is kind of a tipping point in getting a handle on the fire,” Bell said. “Hopefully, they can get a handle on this thing.”

More than 5,000 residents remained under evacuation orders Thursday morning in Placer and Nevada counties. The fire sparked around 2:30 p.m. Wednesday near the Bear River Campground, which was quickly evacuated.

Up the hillside in the Mount Olive neighborhood, a winding area dotted with ranches, a winery and large homes, several houses and numerous vehicles could be seen incinerated from the flames.

But most of the homes were saved, including one owned by Travis Vizino, who stayed to protect his home while the fire barreled through around 5 p.m.

“We made it,” Vizino said Thursday morning as he walked by a neighbor’s home that had burned to the ground. “It came up from the far side of Mount Olive and basically once it hit near the school there was like a fire tornado.

“It just took off and ran straight through here and started wiping stuff out.”

Vizino said he was able to get his wife and 10-year-old son to leave about 30 minutes before a 200- to 300-foot column of flames swept through, and that his former training as a Cal Fire firefighter helped him save his home.

“i didn’t want to leave,” he said. “I didn’t want to leave my stuff.

“My property’s pretty well landscaped, it’s all green and on sprinklers. So I ran my generator, turned my well back on and watered everthing, watered the roof down. That was about it. I pretty much sat it out hanging outside.”

Vizino, a 40-year-old construction superintendent, said the fire was so intense it began wind as it whipped through.

“Earlier in the night, about 5 o’clock, the flames were coming out of the canyon and you could hear the propane tanks blowing up from the homes down below,” he said.

Thursday morning, most of the smoke and flames were gone from the area, with several homes that burned down to the foundation still smoldering. One house burned completely, along with four vehicles. Across Mount Olive Road, another home also burned, along with a large shed, a child’s plastic play structure and an above-ground pool.

Evacuations remain in place

Emergency authorities during a morning briefing said Thursday’s efforts would include “aggressive” holds to protect more structures, including homes and an elementary school. More aircraft will be deployed to assist in containment.

Placer and Nevada counties issued a slew of evacuation orders and warnings Wednesday afternoon and evening, all of which remained in place Thursday morning.

Placer County had orders in place for Zones 1 and 2 east of Interstate 80 through the Nevada County line in the Colfax area. Evacuations are mandatory in the city of Colfax west of the Union Pacific railroad tracks. Zones 4 and 5 are under an evacuation warning.

Nevada County had mandatory evacuations in place for six zones: E050, E102, E103, E178, E180 and E386. Those zones include Bear River Pines, areas near Mount Olive and the Highway 174 corridor near Rollins Reservoir.

River Fire map

Source: National Interagency Fire Center

Highway 174 is closed between Main Street in Colfax and You Bet Road in Nevada County, Caltrans said Thursday morning.

Overnight shelters were set up at Bear River High School in Grass Valley and at Auburn Veterans Memorial Hall and Auburn Regional Park. Animal shelters are at the Nevada County Fairgrounds in Grass Valley and Placer County Animal Services Center in Auburn.

Cal Fire says the cause of the River Fire remains under investigation.

‘We knew this time was coming’

Another resident, Derek Chance, was sitting in an ATV early Thursday on the Placer County side of the Bear River Bridge, eyeing the sky for potential signs of fire and wind.

Chance, a private chef, said he had spent the night at his home and had gotten through the fire without damage so far.

“I’m hoping the wind doesn’t pick up,” Chance said. “Today’s Red Flag all day til 9 o’clock, so you know the humidity’s going down the winds are picking up so s--- could spark up just as easily as last night.”

Chance said he had done all he could to protect his home.

“I have a fire suppression system hooked up to my house,” he said. “I have sprinklers hooked up to my roof with its own separate tank, and I also have a fire hose set up with a 1,000-gallon pool.

“And then I have a nice easy path right to the dam. So, if I i need to get the hell out I can run right down to the dam, and there’s no vegetation around the dam. I’ve got a plan, that’s for sure.”

The fire did not come close to his house Wednesday night, but he said the speed of it across the road was startling.

“It went right from one of those situations where it’s like, ‘Oh, look, there’s a fire started.’ And then 10 minutes later you start packing things up and, ‘Oh, s----, a nuclear bomb just went off.’ That’s what it felt like.”

Chance said he had lived in the area since 2009 and seen wildfires before, but not one of this size. And he emphasized that he had been ready for one for a while.

“I’ve got my generator running keeping the freezers going and all that,” he said. “So, we had a plan. We had things packed up for a year and a half. You know, all our important papers and things have been in a duffel bag for a year and a half.

“We knew this time was coming. It wasn’t a matter of ‘if,’ it was a matter of ‘when.’”