One of California’s most historic mansions burned to the ground after a fire swept through the estate, with detectives indicating it may have been arson.
The Bidwell Mansion, which had stood for 156 years in Chico, northern California, was seen in stunning footage engulfed in flames on Wednesday morning.
The fire started at 3:15am, and although fire crews have not yet established the cause, it has been reported early on in the investigation as an illegal burn.
Deputy Fire Chief Chris Zinko told Action News that a person was seen leaving the area after the blaze began, and agents are working to identify the suspect.
A tourist hotspot property listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the home was closed to the public at the time as it was undergoing a $2.3 million renovation.
Portions of the home collapsed within minutes of fire crews including five fire engines arriving on the scene, and before long the sprawling mansion was completely gutted.
The spread of the fire also led teams to close several buildings at nearby Chico State University, reports SFGate. There are no reports of injuries or deaths as a result of the fire.
The home was named for John Bidwell, a controversial figure in California history who founded the city of Chico but came under renewed scrutiny in recent years for his treatment of Indigenous tribes.
One of California’s most historic mansions burned to the ground after a fire swept through the estate, with detectives indicating it may have been arson
The Bidwell Mansion, which had stood for 156 years in Chico, northern California, was engulfed in flames on Wednesday morning
The mansion was built for Bidwell in 1865 and took three years to complete, and at the time was one of the most opulent properties on the West Coast of America.
Across 26-rooms, the home had many of the most luxurious amenities of the day, such as running water and plumbing.
The mansion had also been a California state park since 1964.
Fire crews raced to the scene early on Wednesday morning, and Chico fire battalion Chief Jim Lucanic told SFGate that it quickly became apparent that the mansion was in worse shape than initially feared.
He said the call first went out for a small fire near the mansion, which Lucanic said is typically for a cooking fire.
The call was urgently updated to a full structural fire shortly thereafter, and despite five engines, a truck company, and a fleet of volunteer firefighters, the mansion was engulfed in flames.
‘When the first engine arrived, the structure was fully involved,’ Lucanic said. ‘They ordered a second alarm right away, duplicating the initial response.’
Lucanic said firefighters had to switch to a ‘defensive operation’, after it was decided that the building was too unsafe for crews to enter.
‘We surrounded the structure to protect exposures and ensure the fire didn’t spread,’ the fire chief went on.
‘It’s about keeping everyone out of the collapse zone while trying to cool the fire down.’
Five fire engines and a fleet of firefighters raced to the scene at around 3:15am Wednesday, as the local fire chief described the mansion as ‘probably the most important landmark in the city’
Despite efforts from firefighters, the huge fire forced them to take a ‘defensive’ position whereby they allowed the mansion to burn to the ground and could only try and stop the spread
Lucanic said within minutes of his arrival, ‘one of the towers was reported as going down, and the top floor followed shortly after.’
He explained that the old age of the mansion meant containing the fire was particularly challenging.
‘Older construction burns differently. This fire went up fast — it went from a report of a possible illegal fire to a fully involved mansion,’ he said.
The fire chief said the loss of the iconic property will be tough to take for the community of Chico, as it is ‘probably the most important landmark in the city.’
‘Hearing we were going into defensive operations on the radio was disheartening because it meant we had written off the building and were just protecting what was around it,’ he said.
The fire in Chico comes as huge wildfires also burn further south of the state, including a large blaze in Malibu that led to mass evacuations this week.
