Homeowners Barely Escape Fast-Moving Fire In Solano County That Burns Two Homes
SOLANO COUNTY (CBS13) — A fast-moving fire ripped through a Solano County neighborhood, barely giving families time to escape as firefighters were battling the wind and the flames to get an upper hand.
Two homes and several outbuildings burned to the ground in old town Cordelia, and 40 to 50 homes in the line of the five-alarm fire were evacuated.
A total of five acres burned along Interstate 80 and Interstate 680, and firefighters remained on scene into the night putting out hot spots.
"The wind is still blowing, still have dry grass beyond the fire
One of the two homes that burned off of Cordelia Road on Friday afternoon was Heather Montano's.
"We just got out of there and now it's gone," she said, crying.
Montano says she could feel the heat from the fast-moving flames by the time firefighters knocked on her door.
With minutes to grab what she could, Montano decided to save her wedding dress.
"That's the most expensive thing I have for the wedding so I just grabbed it and because that's all I have," she said. "We had so much stuff for the wedding and the invitations we made and everything and they're all gone."
Hector Arguta didn't have a chance to save anything from his home.
"Everything is gone," he said.
His wife and two young children watched the grass fire from their window as it moved from Interstate 680. They ran out before it reached their home and burned it to the ground. Their two dogs are still missing.
"The family is fine," he said. "More important the family is fine."
Firefighters say the wind-driven fire moved so quickly, they didn't even have time to set up an evacuation center.
Luckily, when the flames died down, many came back to find their homes still standing.
But for Heather, whose wedding day is four months away, she's grateful she and her fiance and mother had enough time to get out alive.
"She lost everything, but thank God we're OK. That's all that matters," said Amy Montano.