Winds Die, Firefighters Get Edge in Gold Country Fire; 97 Homes Lost

Flagging winds kept wildfires docile and finally gave firefighters the advantage Tuesday over a devastating blaze that consumed 157 structures and blackened about 30,000 acres of California’s historic and scenic Gold Country.

“Oh, God, it is wonderful,” said fire information officer LaVeta Nevius, referring to the soft breezes and cool temperatures. “It’s looking real good. The winds are way down. This is the most hopeful we have been since the fire started.”

Conservative fire managers rated the ‘49er Fire, as the three-day-old blaze has been christened, only 35% contained by late Tuesday afternoon, a drop from 40% announced late Monday, despite feelings among weary but confident firefighters on the line that significant progress had been made.

“That (containment estimate) will change drastically tomorrow morning,” Nevius said. “Even though they believe a lot more of it actually is contained, it is a question of how confident they are in that containment.”

Officials said they expect full containment by 8 p.m. Thursday, with full control coming a day later. Winds are forecast to stay low and perhaps move out of the south, which would push the fire back on itself and further aid firefighters.

$10-Million Loss

Despite all the gains made Tuesday, there still were painful losses, many the previous night, including the destruction of 13 more homes and six barns and other outbuildings. That brings total losses to 97 homes and 60 outbuildings; fire officials estimate property loss at $10 million, but the figure is expected to rise.

There also was some concern for a time that a branch of the fire might break out toward the east in an area called Jones Bar, vault California 49 and threaten the scenic resort town of Nevada City. However, the threat was doused by water-dropping helicopters coming through the dangerously narrow canyon of the South Fork of the Yuba River.

Rod Ivy, a Jones Bar homeowner, said that when he left his home late Monday, flames 150 feet high were marching up the hill. “I thought that was it; I thought it was lost,” he said. “The flames jumped the fire break like it wasn’t even there.”

Fire crews spent the night pushing fuel away from the house and drenched the area in bright red fire retardant Tuesday morning, leaving the structure bare and discolored--but standing.

“Better red than black,” he said.

Gov. George Deukmejian Tuesday proclaimed a state of emergency for Nevada and Yuba counties, a necessary prerequisite for seeking federal disaster assistance and other relief for fire victims.

Meanwhile, for many people, the cleanup has begun. Residents who had been evacuated from the scattered homesteads that generally make up the small towns of Penn Valley, Rough and Ready, Lake Wildwood and Smartville began returning Tuesday. Most, by far, found their homes untouched, even if flames had eaten up to the fire breaks that firefighters had cut in their yards; a few came home to find ash piles where their dream homes once stood.

Sifting Ashes

The Quibell family of Valencia were on their hands and knees literally sifting the ashes of a relative’s house in Lake Wildwood, searching largely in vain for family heirlooms.

“We knew where things were in their house, and we found most of the coin collection yesterday,” Elaine Quibell said.

“It’s amazing what did survive and what didn’t,” her son, Kevin, said. “Some old pots that didn’t mean anything came through without a scratch, but I was looking for a sculpture and could not find hide nor hair of it.”