By Carlos Guerrero
The Daily Democrat
WOODLAND, Calif. — On Saturday afternoon at around 2 p.m., a massive four-alarm structure fire ravaged through parts of multiple houses and another building on the 400 block of Lincoln Avenue in downtown Woodland.
According to the Woodland Fire Department, five homes and an outbuilding located on Lincoln Avenue between College and Elm Street were involved in the blaze.
The damage could be seen on Lincoln on Sunday via foot due to nearby road closures and behind the homes in the alleyway accessible from both College and Elm Street. The size of the fire and resulting damage were among the worst the city of Woodland has ever seen.
According to residents on the scene, nearby homes on the surrounding streets had to be evacuated during the fire’s peak on Saturday afternoon in case the blaze got past the alleyway.
Some College Street residents claimed to have heard a loud boom in the moments before the fire.
The severity of the fire led to a response from all Yolo County agencies and additional help from as far away as Vacaville and Sacramento to help combat the blaze. Firefighters successfully held the fire to only half a dozen buildings where the fire originated and prevented a spread to adjacent homes.
According to a Woodland Fire Department statement via social media, multiple firefighters experienced heat-related injuries due to the triple-digit heat, but no serious injuries were incurred. Five kittens were also rescued throughout firefighting efforts.
As of Sunday evening, Woodland Fire Department investigation teams were still on the scene trying to determine the cause of the fire.
A power outage was also reported at around that time. According to the PG&E outage map, over 2,000 residents were temporarily without power. The Woodland Fire Department asked them to de-energize customers’ power to help combat the blaze. Power was restored at around 6 p.m. Saturday.
In April 2018, right across the street, the Woodland Lions Club suffered a fire that burned through much of the roof but left a number of interior cross-beams intact.
The fire was reported at around 3:30 a.m. on April 6, when a neighbor to the south of the structure at 417 Lincoln Avenue smelled smoke. Firefighters were on the scene within minutes and discovered flames jetting from the roof of the building.
They almost immediately declared it a second-alarm structure fire which brought other engine companies from across the city. There were no injuries as the building was unoccupied. None of the responding firefighters were hurt.
Locally, businesses and community members showed their support for the families whose homes were engulfed in flames. Multiple online fundraisers have been set up for one of the families. Those interested in donating can do so at either https://gofund.me/9600b71b or https://gofund.me/9eaed1a3.
In a post on Facebook, Country Waffles claimed that they would feed families affected by the fire for the upcoming week. MOD Pizza also claimed to offer free pizza coupons as well.
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