Homes Lost, Hundreds Flee N. Calif. Fire

A raging wildfire, pushed along by 40-m.p.h. winds, swept through Northern California’s Mother Lode country Sunday, destroying 30 to 40 homes and other structures, five boats and forcing the evacuation of hundreds of residents in the Sierra Nevada foothills northwest of Grass Valley, authorities said.

Winds decreased to 18 m.p.h. by late Sunday, but the fire remained out of control, said Sgt. Paul Alford, a volunteer firefighter with the California Department of Forestry.

He said the fire was spreading from California 49, which links Northern California’s Gold Rush towns, southwest across the south fork of the Yuba River. It had consumed more than 5,000 acres by late Sunday.

The fast-moving blaze, described as a half-mile long wall of flame, was first reported shortly after 9 a.m. It doubled by the hour in steep terrain a few miles northwest of Grass Valley and Nevada City, about 50 miles northeast of Sacramento, said John Crabtree of the Department of Forestry.

Fire officials have not determined the cause of the blaze. The only injury reported was to a bulldozer driver. His injuries were described as minor.

Traffic was heavily congested along winding, two-lane California 49 as motorists were directed out of the burn area. Before nightfall, visibility was sharply reduced by the smoke and ash, which turned the sun into a glowing dot. Smoke from the blaze was driven through downtown Sacramento by the gusting wind.

Most of the 2,000 homes in the affluent Lake Wildwood community were evacuated and about two dozen homes were known to have been destroyed in the area, authorities said. Many other structures in the rugged fire area also were destroyed.

“It’s spectacular, frightening. I’ve never seen anything like it,” said Lake Wildwood resident Steve Brock as he prepared to leave.

The blaze appeared to hopscotch through Lake Wildwood, burning yards and oak trees between the large houses, some valued at $1 million.

Evacuees flocked to two public schools and several local veterans’ buildings in the town of Rough And Ready. About 150 people were expected to spend the night at one school, officials said.