It started off as a casual night for Butte County resident Michael Cole. “We got a text message in the early afternoon about, it was going to be a mandatory evacuation. Pretty much we didn't even think about it because they didn't come around telling us yet,” Cole said.At around 9:30 p.m., he said he heard propane tanks exploding in the canyon to the north of his Berry Creek home. He drove one mile before realizing the fire was already at Bald Rock Road. “Went home, went in the house, grabbed a beer, walked outside and the fire was at my door. Four minutes. Four minutes,” Cole said.Cole heard fuel cans popping in his yard. Then, his building caught fire. "It was hot. Wind was going about 70 miles an hour. It was pure hell. It was pure hell,” Cole said. Cole’s well was out of water because PG&E had shut off the power the day before, so he took the bottle of beer in his hand and went to work. "I just started throwing beer and water on the fire on my house and getting it put out as much as I could," he said. All Cole had was his two hands, a little over a half a case of beer, and a case of water to save his home. He said he was shaking up the bottles and spraying them before taking a shovel and trying to knock out the flames. Cole said his home caught fire three times throughout the night. Each time, he was able to save it, but others weren't so lucky. The local firehouse and Berry Creek Elementary School burned to the ground.“There was fire coming off the roof and it went so fast. The kindergarten classroom across the parking lot was not involved yet, and about 35-40 minutes later it, had just succumbed to the heat,” he said.Cole was able to salvage a scrap of the school’s American flag that had been melted by the flames -- a painful reminder of what was lost.
It started off as a casual night for Butte County resident Michael Cole.
“We got a text message in the early afternoon about, it was going to be a mandatory evacuation. Pretty much we didn't even think about it because they didn't come around telling us yet,” Cole said.
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At around 9:30 p.m., he said he heard propane tanks exploding in the canyon to the north of his Berry Creek home. He drove one mile before realizing the fire was already at Bald Rock Road.
“Went home, went in the house, grabbed a beer, walked outside and the fire was at my door. Four minutes. Four minutes,” Cole said.
Cole heard fuel cans popping in his yard. Then, his building caught fire.
"It was hot. Wind was going about 70 miles an hour. It was pure hell. It was pure hell,” Cole said.
Cole’s well was out of water because PG&E had shut off the power the day before, so he took the bottle of beer in his hand and went to work.
"I just started throwing beer and water on the fire on my house and getting it put out as much as I could," he said.
All Cole had was his two hands, a little over a half a case of beer, and a case of water to save his home.
He said he was shaking up the bottles and spraying them before taking a shovel and trying to knock out the flames.
Cole said his home caught fire three times throughout the night. Each time, he was able to save it, but others weren't so lucky.
The local firehouse and Berry Creek Elementary School burned to the ground.
“There was fire coming off the roof and it went so fast. The kindergarten classroom across the parking lot was not involved yet, and about 35-40 minutes later it, had just succumbed to the heat,” he said.
Cole was able to salvage a scrap of the school’s American flag that had been melted by the flames -- a painful reminder of what was lost.
September 13, 2020 at 06:43AM
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Man uses bottles of beer, water to save home from Butte County fire - KCRA Sacramento
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