Fire destroys three homes in Cottonwood; fundraiser planned

Thick smoke poured into the streets in downtown Cottonwood as a wind-blown grass fire of unknown origin ignited and burned three houses and a couple out-buildings after noon on Wednesday, Sept. 1, according to Rodney Chadbon, administrator at Cottonwood Fire Protection District.

The grass fire was first reported at 12:45 p.m at First and Willow streets, but quickly spread to a garage behind 3384 Willow Street, according to initial reports.

“The wind created several spot fires that made firefighting difficult,” said Calvin Ciapponi, district battalion chief.

Cause of the fire was not known as of the afternoon of Sept. 3, Chadbon said.

After her home at 3384 Willow St. was completely destroyed, Pamela Case said she didn’t know what she should do next. She lived there with her boyfriend, William Lendal McCall, Jr. and two of his sons. McCall suffered a minor burn on his arm but refused medical treatment at the time, Chadbon said.

McCall was later flown to U.C. Davis for his burns, according to his son, William Carl McCall, who went to the Red Cross outpost at First Baptist Church the next day.

“What remnants are there are so twisted and burnt. Even jewelry, it’s just so heartbreaking.”

Bobby Munk, upon returning to his house after the fire

“I lost everything that had to do with the family,” Case said while wiping away tears, recalling photos of her oldest son, Caleb Sims, 25, who she hasn’t seen in a long time. “I don’t have contact with him. I don’t know where he’s at.”

One Cottonwood firefighter, David Killey, suffered heat exhaustion and was treated by paramedics on scene.

“He just needed oxygen and water,” Chadbon said.

Also injured was Carrie Ottinger, who lived at 3382 Willow St. with her husband, three daughters and her father.

At home alone during the fire Ottinger was taken to Mercy Medical Center with a coating of chemicals in her lungs, after rescuing some family pets, according to her husband Bobby Munk.

A separate blaze also started a half-acre vegetation fire near the American Legion Building, but firefighters from Anderson Fire Protection District were able to control that blaze before it could spread into nearby structures, said Andy Nichols, Anderson’s Fire Chief.

Heat from the fire melted a natural gas regulator leading to a gas leak at one of the destroyed houses, 22902 First St., according to Brandi Ehlers, spokeswoman for Pacific Gas and Electric. Workers repaired the leak in an hour, she said.

Some residents living near to the burned buildings were evacuated, said Shasta County Undersheriff Greg Wrigley. An automated telephone call from the sheriff’s office was sent to about 200 people in the area, but no one checked in to the evacuation center at North Cottonwood Elementary School, according to Mark Lillibridge, the sheriff’s office lieutenant in charge of emergency services. Many stayed to watch the fire, he said.

Twenty officers went door-to-door to notify residents, but no one was physically removed from their house, Lillibridge said.

Officials at East Cottonwood School said the students were called in early from a lunch recess, but since smoke from the fire was blowing away from the school grounds and the school was not threatened, no other precautions were taken.

Volunteers from the American Red Cross interviewed the families affected by the fire to assess short-term needs. All residents found family or friends to provide them with shelter, according to Pat Day, disaster action team coordinator. With the need for shelter accounted for, interviews with victims for need of clothing or food commenced on Thursday, Day said.

Returning to destroyed house the next day, Ottinger’s husband Bobby Munk said he could not recover much.

“A few metal items ... unmeltables,” Munk said in a telephone interview Friday. “But what remnants are there are so twisted and burnt. Even jewelry, it’s just so heartbreaking. You know what stuff is supposed to look like ... A house key (now) looks like a corkscrew.”

While his wife is in the hospital, Munk said he was dealing with his daughters.

“They’re devastated,” he said.

While his wife managed to get some of their animals out of the burning home, the family is still missing a blonde Chihuahua, 3, named “Duchess” and a fawn-colored Staffordshire-pitbull cross, 6, named “Roxy.”

Relief efforts for both families are underway. A fundraiser is scheduled for Sept. 10, 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Cleanrite-Buildrite, Inc., 19690 Hirsch Ct. off Ox Yoke Road. Donations of furniture, blankets and clothing will be stored for the family until they find a new place to live, said Angie Burris, marketing manager. Food donations are also encouraged.

PremiereWest Bank will also attend the fundraiser, as an account for both families will be set up to accept donations, Burris said. Shanda Duncan at Cottonwood Health Equipment is collecting donations for Ottinger’s family. She can be contacted at 347-3721, ext. 3.

Multiple fire fighting agencies fought the fire, with Cottonwood Fire Protection District taking the lead and continuing the investigation as to the cause of the blaze.