NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – Fire officials are continuing to monitor the scene of a fire that burned a historic Colusa County lodge on Saturday.
Located just inside Colusa County near Williams, the Wilbur Hot Springs main lodge, built in 1915, was damaged in the fire, which broke out Saturday morning, as Lake County News has reported.
Dr. Richard Miller, who has owned the resort since 1972, confirmed to Lake County News in a brief email that “not one guest was injured” in the “sad fire” that badly burned the resort.
The resort's Web site, www.wilburhotsprings.com , has a brief notice posted on it that states, “We are not currently taking reservations; the hotel is temporarily closed and the phones are down.”
Several fire agencies from around the region responded to the blaze, which was first dispatched at 9:58 a.m. Saturday, according to Kara Alvernaz of the Williams Fire Department.
Alvernaz said Williams sent two engines, a water tender and an air and light unit, Maxwell Fire sent an engine and a water tender, Sacramento River Fire sent a water tender, Capay Valley had two engines and a water tender at scene and Northshore Fire's Clearlake Oaks station sent an engine.
It took firefighters just over 30 minutes to get to the lodge, which the roads being muddy and slick due to the recent rains, said Alvernaz.
Furnishings on the first floor were saved thanks to the work of Northshore Fire, whose personnel worked to protect that part of the building, according to Deputy Chief Pat Brown.
On Saturday, an initial report from Northshore Fire personnel on scene pointed to the possibility that the fire may have started in the resort's kitchen, but Alvernaz said Monday that the information they have received from witnesses is that the point of origin was a second story bedroom.
That's where Elk Grove residents Jana and Kelly Couch believe the fire started, possibly due to a heater. They've also shared that information with Williams Fire.
In addition to the couple, another person at the resort – who did not wish to be named – told Lake County News they had gone into the kitchen for a fire extinguisher after the fire started and saw no flames, also pointing to a second floor origin.
Jana and Kelly Couch arrived at the resort on Friday, intending to spend a relaxing weekend.
“It didn't quite turn out that way,” said Jana Couch.
It was her second time at the resort, where this past weekend a guest chef had been brought in to prepare meal.
That morning she and her husband had finished breakfast in the dining room and had gone back to their room, where she did some reading and waited for the resort's office to open.
As she headed out of their apartment, she got a whiff of smoke.
She looked up as she was walking down the ramp, saw flames coming out of a second story window and started yelling to alert people there was a fire.
The fire moved fast through the old building, and likewise resort staff moved quickly to gather the 60 guests who had reportedly been staying there at the time, do a head count and firmly get people away from the building. The propane also was immediately turned off, Couch said.
She and her husband were able to grab clothes, a wallet and an iPad, but they couldn't get to their mountain bikes, which had been propped up against the building.
“I was really impressed by how calmly the staff handled things,” Couch said.
Other guests were still eating breakfast, in the spa or hiking at that time. “I think there were numerous people who lost all of the possessions that they brought,” she said.
Couch said that she believed it could have been a far more dangerous, and potentially deadly, scenario had the fire started at night.
Alvernaz said Williams Fire kept an engine and a water tender on the scene throughout Saturday night and into Sunday to monitor for hot spots, with that crew returning midday Sunday.
She said Williams' assistant chief and a firefighter went back to the resort on Monday to continue to check for potential flare ups.
Alvernaz said the fire department isn't finished with its work at the site, with tarps and hoses still ready in case a flare up occurs.
She said the entire first floor and a portion of the second of the three-story building remain standing.
However, Alvernaz added, “We still have it all roped off.”
People are prohibited from entering the scene, she said. “Nobody is to enter until we get a building official up there.”
Due to Monday being Cesar Chavez Day, Alvernaz said Williams Fire had not been able to contact a Colusa County building official to respond to the property and determine if it was safe to enter the first floor.
No dollar estimate of damage has been reached, Alvernaz said.
Alvernaz confirmed to Lake County News that Wilbur Hot Springs is not contained within any fire district, but is instead located within the State Responsibility Area, which usually is covered by Cal Fire.
However, Cal Fire did not respond, according to Alvernaz, with Deputy Chief Pat Brown of Northshore Fire also confirming that the agency wasn't at the scene.
“Williams Fire has responded up there automatically forever,” said Alvernaz, adding, “But it is not actually in our fire district. We are just the closest fire department and we have always responded up there.”
She said there are two nearby Cal Fire stations – in Leesville and at the corner of Highway 20 and Highway 16 – but both are seasonal and not currently open.
Cal Fire did not immediately to respond to a request from Lake County News for information about its coverage of that portion of the State Responsibility Area, where property owners must pay annual fire fees.
Because the resort isn't in a fire district and didn't have fire insurance – a matter reportedly related to the building's age and location, not a lack of effort on the part of the resort owners – fire officials said a full investigation into the fire isn't anticipated to take place.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.