Fire and Ice: Flames Tear Through Nevada City Home Hours After Snow Storm

NEVADA CITY (CBS13) — As snow hit the streets of Nevada City Wednesday, a huge fire broke out downtown.

Kit Kohler took cellphone video showing massive fireballs bursting through the windows of a century-old old home in downtown Nevada City. Firefighters arriving on scene had no chance at saving the structure.

Kohler was in the building next door when he took the pictures.

"Within like literally minutes, it was fully engulfed in flames," Kohler said.

The fire broke out across the street from Nevada City City Hall on scenic Broad Street as fresh snow covered some of the downtown rooftops from the storm.

"It was a very wet day so it was definitely weird to have a fire this large on such a wet day," Kohler said.

After the flames were finally out, the destroyed century-old home was left in the form of burnt debris.

The Union newspaper reports a suspect is under arrest for arson, burglary and trespassing in connection to the fire.

The property had been for sale for years. Photos from Zillow show the exterior and interior in disrepair.

Michael Kent had tried buying the home last year with plans to demolish it and rebuild. He warned the Nevada City planning commission of problems at the property. They denied his application.

"In our many times that we had been in the house, we had seen that it had been broke into, people were in their using drugs," Kent said. "And we told them look, we believe if something isn't done with that property soon, it's gonna end in a tragedy, and it did."

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A fiery finish to a century-old Nevada City home. And an arson investigation that's already led to a reported arrest.

"It's definitely a gut punch to this community," Kohler said. "It was right in the middle of our downtown district."

The Union newspaper reports the suspect arrested on suspicion of arson is 32-year-old Nathan Daniel Tomlinson.