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Fire Knocks Out El Dorado County Courthouse Power

PLACERVILLE (CBS13) — You can't see much, but this is when we knew something was wrong—the power knocked out inside the El Dorado County Courthouse.

When we were sent outside, we quickly found it was much more than a power problem. A fire was burning up a nearby hill, right near the court and close to a handful of homes.

Natasha Jeffrey saw the blaze and knew her mother's home of more than 20 years was at risk of burning.

"I got on Facebook and saw a picture and was like, 'That's my mom's house,' so I came over here and walked up there and realized what was going on.

Four homes were in the path of the fire, sparked likely by downed power lines. Fire crews from Cal Fire and El Dorado County worked quickly to keep the fire away, but insisted in this early fire season, homeowners need to help before the flames start by creating defensible space around their homes.

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