Oak Bottom Marina on Whiskeytown Lake was destroyed by the wildfires that have been pummeling northern California since last week. According to investigators, most of the buildings and 40 boats were set ablaze. Others were set adrift into the lake.
“The only buildings left standing are the fire station and a couple of restrooms,” Mike Hebrard, Shasta County fire chief, told USAToday. “The concession stands are burned up.”
Scott McLean, a Cal Fire spokesman for the crews battling the blaze in Shasta County, told the news site that the fire was “very dynamic,” adding that it is “taking everything down in its path.”
“What we have is a condition here where it’s 110 degrees in the valley; it’s 60 degrees on the coast. The hot air rises, the air sucks in, and those are the winds we are getting about 7 to 8 o’clock every night. And it is pushing that fire basically to the east, to the north,” Hebrard said.
A message on Oak Bottom Marina’s website said it was closed until further notice. “We have not been authorized to assess the damages until Cal Fire contains the blaze,” stated the notice. “We are told that we have a total loss of the recreation area.”
The state’s fire service called the wildfires “unprecedented” and said it would continue for at least another week. California Gov. Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency for Shasta County.
