Woman, 85, Escapes Swedes Fire By Sliding Down Driveway
OROVILLE (CBS13) — An intense fire ripped through part of Butte County on Wednesday, near where a similar fire burned two years ago.
CBS13 cameras were there as firefighters tried to stop the flames from spreading to a home. In minutes, what was probably an outbuilding just feet away had burned to the ground.
As firefighters struggled to stop the fierce fire from spreading, they finally got some help from the sky as a plane dropped retardant. The home was saved.
June Glockner, her arms and head heavily bandaged, had a harrowing close call of her own.
"Folks, I'm 85 by God," she said. "I have burns and I had to sit on my fanny."
Unable to walk, Glockner had to slide down her driveway, yelling for help as the Swedes Fire burned on both sides of her road.
"I got about three-quarters and I yelled 'Hey, I'm here, I'm alive!'" she said.
Elsewhere, the Swedes Fire ripped through rugged Butte County, charring an RV and two cars.
The fire forced evacuations and brought back memories of a 2013 blaze by the same name. That fire burned nearly 2,500 acres, as well as several outbuildings and a home.
"The way the wind's blowing it feels like it's gonna come this direction, and I don't live far from here," said Jeanne Dommer.
The flames moved fast enough to force Glockner from her home.
"Her hands are all busted up, face has been burned because she was too close to the fire," said Jerry Price, who helped her escape.
It may be painful, but she's alive to tell the story.
"I'm 85 and I made it down that driveway," she said.