Man Arrested After Portola Fire Destroys 3 Homes, Plumas Sheriff Says

PORTOLA (CBS13) – A man is in custody after a fire in Portola destroyed three homes on Friday, the Plumas County Sheriff's Office said.

Eric Armstrong, 29, was booked into the Plumas County Correctional Facility on a charge of unlawfully causing a fire that burned an inhabited structure.

No injuries were reported in the fire, which started at a home on North Fourth Street and spread to nearby vegetation and two other residences.

The sheriff's office said it received reports just before 3:30 p.m. of a home fully involved in flames. On arrival, authorities evacuated the surrounding area and shut down Highway 70 while CHP handled traffic control.

Just after 7:30 p.m., the sheriff's office said the size of the fire was two acres and multiple other structures were threatened, but crews were working to contain it. Evacuation orders were still in effect as of that time for residents East Sierra Avenue from North Second Street to Meadow Way, East Quincy Avenue between North Second Street to North Fourth Street Rheinfelder Street, and the West end of Rocky Point Road.

An evacuation center was set up at the Portola Station Baptist Church.

Details on Armstrong's alleged connection to the fire were not released. The cause remains under investigation.