Hundreds of homes destroyed in Butte County wildfire

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    BUTTE VALLEY, CA (KCRA) — Nearly 730 homes have been destroyed by a wildfire burning in Butte County, officials said Thursday.

About 1,129 structures — including 727 homes — have been destroyed. Cal Fire said 72 structures were also damaged in the North Complex West Zone fire.

The blaze is being called the North Complex West Zone and was formerly referred to as the Bear Fire. As of Thursday morning, the West Zone has consumed 78,750 acres with 40% containment. It’s part of the North Complex Fire, which flared up last week due to strong northern winds, the U.S. Forest Service Plumas National Forest division said.

The North Complex Fire, which sparked mid-August from a lightning strike, has burned 284,437 acres and is 40% contained, as of Thursday morning. The wildfire ignited in Plumas County last month and then spread to Yuba and Butte counties after windy conditions Tuesday caused the blaze to flare up.

Cal Fire has released a map of the properties that were damaged and destroyed.

If people don’t have access to the website, they can use a new call center created by the sheriff’s office. Residents can call 530-552-3010 to get more information about evacuations and property damage.

More than 23,000 structures are threatened by the blaze.

DEATHS AND MISSING
At least 15 people have been killed in the wildfire, Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea said.

Search and rescue efforts have increased over the past several days. Honea said he is hopeful because no new remains have been found during those searches.

Deaths in the wildfire were first reported Sept. 9, when Honea said three people were killed in the blaze. Two bodies were found in the same location and the third victim was found in another location.

The death toll has continued to grow over the past week as crews were able to get into the fire zone and conduct recovery efforts. As of Thursday, officials have identified 13 victims so far:

Millicent Catarancuic, 77, was found on Sept. 9 near a pickup truck at Graystone Lane and Coyote Road in Berry Creek. Honea said she was found down an embankment.
Josiah Williams, 16, was trying to evacuate when he died. Other members of the family were able to escape. Family said Josiah was “one of the kindest souls.”
Khawar Bhatti, 58, of Berry Creek, was the third victim to be positively identified, officials said.
John Butler, 79, and Sandra Butler, 75, of Berry Creek, were found near their home.
Jorge Hernandez-Juarez, 26, of Berry Creek, was found Sept. 13 on a property on Milsap Bar Road.
Phillip Rubel, 68, was found Sept. 9 inside a pickup truck near Greystone Lane and Coyote Road in Berry Creek.
Jacob Albright, 74, was found Sept. 12 in a vehicle on Island Bar Hill Road in Feather Falls.
Paul Winer, 68, was found on Sept. 10 in the roadway of Handkirk Lane in Berry Creek near an ATV.
Randy Harrell, 67, was found on Sept. 10 in a vehicle on Lumpkin Road near Cedar Tree Lane in Feather Falls.
Mark Delagardie, 61, was found dead Sept. 14 at his residence on Bean Creek Road. Honea said a friend called the sheriff’s office for a welfare check on Delgarde because he ignored evacuation orders and chose to stay at his home.
Kin Lee, 64, was found dead Sept. 10 at his home on Starcrest Lane in Berry Creek. Honea said a family member talked to Lee on Sept. 8 when he said he would evacuate when flames became visible.
Suzan Zurz, 76, was found on Sept. 9 near Graystone Lane and Coyote Road in Berry Creek. Honea said she, Catarancuic and Rubel were preparing to evacuate but decided not to when they got erroneous information that the wildfire was 51% contained. Honea said it is unclear how the three people got the wrong information.
The sheriff’s office received 185 calls for welfare checks or attempts to locate after the fire spread into the county. One person is still unaccounted for, Honea said.

A firefighter was injured Tuesday after suffering an allergic reaction while battling the wildfire. Because of the rugged terrain, the firefighter had to be hoisted from the scene by a helicopter and taken to the hospital for treatment. Cal Fire said the firefighter is recovering.

Several people were injured after being trapped by the fire during the overnight hours from Tuesday to Wednesday last week. Cal Fire Battalion Chief Sean Norman said firefighters were rescuing a lot of people.

“We were rescuing people most of the night. We had several critical burn injuries of civilians we were able to rescue and bring into the fire station and then get them off the hill,” Norman said.

EVACUATIONS IN PLACE
Last week’s flare-up made the fire move in a southwestern direction, prompting evacuations in Plumas, Yuba and Butte counties, the Forest Service said.

Plumas County
La Porte — Little Grass Valley Reservoir: All residents, campgrounds, and recreational facilities near Little Grass Valley Reservoir and the town of La Porte. Onion Valley south to the county line.
Bucks Lake — From Bucks Lake Road (Highway 162) at the Plumas/Butte County line east to Bucks Lake Road at Big Creek Road (east intersection). This includes Bucklin Road from Mill Creek Campground south to Bucks Lake Road, all residents, recreational facilities, campgrounds in the Bucks Lake area.
Butte County

Yuba County
Yuba Zone 1: Area east New York Flat Road, south of the county line, west of LaPorte Road and north of LaPorte Road.
Yuba Zone 2: Areas west of Bullards Bar Lake, east of La Porte Road, south of the county line and north Bullards Bar Road and Fountainhouse Road.
Yuba Zone 3C: Areas north of Caroline Road, south of the county line, east of New York Flat Road and areas east of Forbestown Road.
Yuba Zone 7: Area west of Bean Clipper Road and La Porte Road, south of the county line, east of the county line, north of Moran Road.
Evacuation Centers

Butte County Fairgrounds, located at 199 E. Hazel St. in Gridley

BATTLING THE BLAZE
Cal Fire said Thursday evening fire activity increased in a few areas of the fire when a weather front moved into the area, bringing strong winds.

“A cold front is expected to move across the incident tonight and into early Friday morning with much cooler conditions with higher humidities and minimal winds,” Cal Fire said in an incident report Thursday night.

The wildfire is burning in steep terrain and areas of heavy fuel.

“Firefighters have been engaged in constructing direct and indirect fire lines,” Cal Fire said. “Aircraft were used more [Thursday] than in previous days supporting ground personnel… Firefighters are currently working on cutting lines around both spot fires and are confident that they will be contained [Friday].”

The wildfire entered Butte County “with a vengeance” the afternoon of Sept. 8 and was driven by extreme winds, heavy dry fuels and steep terrain. “An 8-mile-wide fire front bore down on northeastern Butte County, burning over 67,000 acres,” Cal Fire said.

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