When the smoke cleared

By Victoria Metcalf

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Volunteer firefighters from seven departments and Plumas National Forest converged on what turned out to be a junkyard fire that caught a small home on fire late Wednesday afternoon, July 18.

Through joint efforts, firefighters were able to keep the flames from spreading to other homes and a large meadow.

Residents within the immediate area of the blaze were told to evacuate.

Adrianna Castillo and Jason Gilliam were inside their home directly in front of the blaze, when a neighbor pounded on their door and told them to leave. Gilliam had time to move his Jeep parked behind the house before they left.

Two recreational vehicles, sheds packed with miscellaneous items, old tires, boards, brush and junked vehicles were consumed as an intense blaze swept through a backyard on Lee Road in East Quincy around 5 p.m.

Initially, Quincy Fire Department Deputy Fire Chief Dave Windle thought there was a home inside the inferno. As the flames died down firefighters were able to determine that what remained had nothing to do with a habitation. The two RVs were used for storage, according to Wendell. For the full story see next week’s newspaper.