Saturday, March 21, 2015

COLFAX, CALIFORNIA MOBILE HOME FIRE, CHEMICAL TANK EXPLOSION FEARS PROMPT EVACUATIONS OF 21 HOMES AND 10 FAMILIES














MARCH 20, 2015

COLFAX, CALIFORNIA

A small structure fire threatened residents in a rural neighborhood in Colfax.
CalFire got a call about 12:30 p.m. about a fire on the 1300 block of Robbers Ravine Road. Fire fighters arrived on scene to a parked moving truck in the back of the property engulfed in flames.

They also immediately noticed several tanks of vegetable oil, chlorine, diesel, gas, and propane around the moving truck.

After the Hazmat team assessed the area, fire fighters continued to suppress the flames.

In the meantime, authorities evacuated 1/4 miles radius from the fire to ensure safety of the residents. This included 21 homes and 10 families.

Hazmat cleared the scene at around 2:30 p.m., and residents were told they could return to their homes.

“We initiated an emergency evacuation for one quarter mile area, and that was mainly out of precaution until we were able to determine what those materials were at the scene,” John Hotchkiss, CalFire Captain Specialist said.

Sharlene Wilcox found out the fire started at her next door neighbor’s home, and was worried about returning to a burnt home. FOX40 caught her just as she was driving back to her house.

“I’m just glad they were able to get it out and it seems to be safe to go home,” Wilcox said.

Fire fighters were able to contain the fire just in the back property. No homes were damaged, and no one was injured. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
Sources:foxnews.com