Yuba fire overruns homes

Pushed by north wind gusts up to 30 mph, a grass fire quickly got out of hand Friday and consumed at least four residences and a number of outbuildings north of Wheatland.

No one was seriously injured in the fast-moving fire, which burned an estimated 60 acres of grass west of Highway 65 and east of Oakley Road. Two firefighters had minor burns, Assistant Chief Darryl Stineman of the Plumas Brophy Fire Department said.

Chief Joe Hernandez of the Marysville Fire Department, one of eight departments called in to help, said some of the 12 engines at the scene had to be used to protect homes, reducing the ability to stop the fire's forward progress.

"Unfortunately, you have to make choices," Hernandez said.

The fire briefly threatened the Plumas Brophy Fire Department's Station One on Dairy Road. Across the street, a one-story residence and a mobile home at the northwest corner of Dairy and Highway 65 were destroyed. The mobile home apparently was vacant, Stineman said.

Also destroyed were a house and vacant mobile home at 2322 Highway 65.

The homes' owners were not available for comment. There was no damage estimate, Stineman said.

The cause of the fire, which started about noon on the west side of Highway 65, was not known, Stineman said.

The fire bypassed a walnut orchard west of Highway 65 - apparently because the grass under the trees was too green to burn, according to Capt. Jon Berge of the Wheatland Fire Department. It was finally stopped at Dry Creek Road.

At 2:10 p.m., Stineman called it a "shaky containment" as firefighters doused small fires on the far side of Dry Creek Road.

The Olivehurst, Linda, East Nicolaus and Pleasant Grove fire departments also helped, as well as firefighters from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection's Brownsville and Loma Rica stations.

Marysville is also a CDF operation.

Appeal-Democrat reporter Rob Young can be reached at 749-4710. You may e-mail him at ryoung@appeal-democrat.com.