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Nov. 11--More than half of Alderson Ranch Supply in Princeton was gutted by a late-night fire Thursday, as volunteer firefighters from seven departments worked to put down the blaze.
"When we arrived, it was so hot the roof was glowing," said Princeton firefighter Jim Zoller, who said the call came out about 11:15 p.m.
Owner Mike Carney said the cause of the fire was unknown, but he was told the blaze likely started in the middle section of the metal building.
Because there are no windows, and because of the motor oil and other supplies kept in the building, the heat built up and the fire just grew. The metal roof literally melted and began to sink in toward the center of the building.
Zoller said just when the firefighters thought they had gotten the best of the fire, a new spot would begin to burn, aided by the oils and other material in the tractor supply business.
Firefighters from Princeton, Maxwell, Williams, Sacramento River, Colusa, Willows, Glenn-Codora and Butte City did manage to save the auto parts area and the section south of that.
However, Carney said even those sections sustained heat and smoke damage.
Crews were at the site, located on the east side of Highway 45 across from the Princeton Market, until about 8:30 a.m. Friday.
Zoller, who grew up in the area, said the Alderson building also burned down about 40 years ago, and not long after that the building next door, which housed the Owl's Roost bar, also burned.
Otherwise, Zoller said, he could not recall any major fires in the town in the last 50 years.
