CBS13 Road Tour: 49 Fire Anniversary
AUBURN (CBS13) - This month's firestorms in northern California have ignited horrific memories for one foothills community. They remember the 49 Fire in Auburn very well. It tore a path of destruction, leveling more than 60 homes.
It was a horrific day, Mohammed Azini recalls.
"It was right across the street, then it went back up there," says Azini.
As the 49 Fire erupted on that 90-degree day six years ago, winds were gusting and sending embers flying. Sixty-two homes and two businesses were destroyed. Eighteen other homes were damaged and 73 vehicles were destroyed.
The 49 Fire broke out on a Sunday. I was here that night reporting from the scene. It started just down the road, off of Highway 49, stopping at a nearby road and then made a beeline for neighborhoods.
The scars still run deep -- from trees and wooden posts to a city limit sign that's still scorched. The 350-acre fire wouldn't just alter the landscape, it changed lives.
"And the smoke kept getting larger and larger," said Clinton Aldrich.
Aldrich's home burned to the ground.
"Yeah, I lost everything," he said.
He rebuilt a larger home on the same lot. It took him two years to move back in, but it's taken him much longer to recover. And seeing the devastation of this month's Northern California firestorms sends chills.
He feels for the newest fire victims in our state, knowing the road they must travel to recover.
Tony: Is it tough to watch?
Clinton: Yeah. I mean, I've been there, I've done that, OK. My heart goes out to those people. It's devastating. You don't realize…it's just stuff, you know? It's just stuff, but it hurts.
Businesses impacted by the Auburn fire have also bounced back.
The Schultz Tire and Auto Shop suffered some water and smoke damage and lost inventory.
But as this image they keep behind their front desk shows, the flames hop-scotched over their corner lot and the embers sailed over the building, destroying a Harley-Davidson shop down the road.
Tires were the only thing set ablaze. Six years later, the only thing that matters to those who lived through the 49 fire is that everyone made it out alive, scarred by the memories of the day, but still standing.
The fire was ruled arson and sparked changes to how local emergency personnel communicate with each other.
