Glenn County Observer
Over the past week in Glenn County, no less than four fires have required multi-agency responses.
First, last Thursday, January 23, there was the Hamilton City Post Office fire, which gutted the building. The Orland, Artois, Capay, Ord Bend, Willows, and, of course, Hamilton City fire departments responded to that blaze.
A couple of days later, a large mound of hulls at North State Hulling on Highway 32 west of Hamilton City caught fire. Again, the Orland, Capay, Ord Bend, and Hamilton City fire departments responded.
Late Monday morning, January 27, multiple North County fire departments, including the Orland Volunteer Fire Department, responded to an escaped control burn in an orchard north of Orland, off Highway 99.
Just hours earlier that same day, the Willows Fire Department responded to a report of a residential structure fire at 644 North Shasta Street. The house was completely involved, and the Orland and Artois fire departments were called to assist.
According to statements overheard on the police scanner, surrounding houses, including some on Butte Street (the street immediately to the east of Shasta Street), were evacuated by sheriff’s deputies and firefighters.
Firefighters were on the scene for about two hours, turning the property over to the owners at about 8:50 a.m. The Red Cross was contacted to assist the family.
In a press release issued later, Willows Fire Chief Nathan Monck wrote:
“On January 27th, at 0652 hours, the Willows Fire Department was dispatched to a residential structure fire in the 600 block of North Shasta Street in Willows. The initial responding engine company requested additional resources immediately due to the large black smoke column visible upon leaving the station.
“The first Willows fire engine arrived at the scene within three minutes from initial dispatch to find a single-story, single-family residence with heavy fire showing from the front of the structure, as well as an adjacent structure beginning to ignite, known as an ‘exposure.’ The exposure was caused by the proximity of the flames as well as gusting northerly winds. An aggressive offensive fire attack was initiated.
“Soon after protecting the exposure and ensuring all fire was contained to the building of origin, additional crews arrived and a primary search of the structure was completed in coordination with simultaneous fire attack operations. The fire was extinguished without further incidents.
“The family was not home at the time of the fire, and no injuries to the public or first responders were reported. Unfortunately, two canines died as a result of the fire.
“The cause of the fire was investigated by members of both the Willows and Orland Fire Departments and was determined to be accidental in nature. The fire started in the living room, in an area where a space heater was being used. The structure of origin is a total loss, displacing three community members.
“Willows Fire Department would like to thank our mutual and automatic aid partners for their assistance in response to this incident.
“As a reminder, please follow all manufacturer recommendations when using space heaters, and take extra care to turn off space heaters when you are not home.”
The Glenn County Observer 