Chico continues to grieve the loss of Bidwell Mansion after it was destroyed in a fire early Wednesday morning. Investigations are developing as to the cause of the fire, including the possibility of arson.
There is no monetary estimate of the damage, but only 10% of the collections inside of the mansion were original, according to Matt Teague, the district superintendent of the Northern Buttes District of California State Parks. The rest of the original collections had already been replaced by replicas of mock-up displays.
The historic mansion, built in 1868, was the home of John and Annie Bidwell, who founded Chico.
A self-portrait of John Bidwell, and Annie Bidwell’s piano, were among the original items destroyed in the fire.
More on the extent of the damage
The fire started around 3:20 a.m. and burnt for approximately three hours, according to Chico Fire Chief Steve Standridge.
He said that most of the mansion has been seriously damaged and what remains is very unstable.
“At least combustible products, all the wood products, and whatever was in there is burned. A shell of it is still standing,” Standridge told NSPR.
When fire crews arrived on the scene, he said the fire had already consumed the mansion to such a degree that firefighters were unable to enter the building to engage in standard defensive measures.
“Normally, we try and go in and do an aggressive attack, but due to the entire structure being engulfed in flames, we were unable to do so,” Standridge said.
Instead, firefighters engaged in defensive operations outside of the structure to prevent the spread of fire to surrounding areas.
California State Parks owns the property and immediately worked to ensure that the area was fenced off to the public.
Spot fires were still visibly burning within the structure this afternoon, but Standridge said there was no danger of fire escaping the immediate area.
Officials are asking the public to avoid the area for their own safety and to keep the space clear for the response team.
Esplanade Frontage Road at West Frances Willard Avenue is closed until further notice, according to the Chico Police Department.
Fire investigation and the future of the site
One of the first steps will be trying to identify the cause of the fire.
“We're working with state investigators, trying to figure out how it actually started,” Standridge said.
There will also be an ongoing conversation about the future of what remains of the mansion.
“As far as the portions that are still standing, that will be up to the state to determine if it's worth leaving those or trying to utilize those walls, or if they're going to knock it down,” Standridge said.
North Valley Community Foundation has started a fundraising campaign to support a rebuilding effort. Community members can donate online or at any Tri Counties Bank location.
There will be a candlelight vigil for the historic structure at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Children’s Park.
Chico State’s response
The campus itself has not been impacted, though Chico State closed some buildings near the mansion today. That includes Gateway Science Museum, Modoc Hall and Aymer J. Hamilton building, including the Child Development Lab in Aymer J. Hamilton. The buildings will reopen for classes on Thursday.
Chico State President Steve Perez sent an email lamenting the fire to the campus community first thing Wednesday morning.
“We are devastated to wake up to the heartbreaking news,” Perez wrote.
In a later email Wednesday afternoon, Perez wrote that some people had found burnt artifacts from the mansion, including pages that had traveled in the wind.
“If you find any items, California State Parks asks you to contact Ursula Filice at 530-922-0934,” he wrote. “They are eager to recover and preserve any items that may have survived.”
Chico State Public Relations Manager Andrew Staples told NSPR that there was no current threat to campus.
“It's busy in the area with fire investigators, increased traffic, of course. And you know, there was a tremendous amount of water used to try to put it out, to fight the fire,” Staples said. “So we have sandbags up at what we call the Aymer J. Hamilton building, to try to keep the water out of the building.”
Classes are going on as scheduled for most of campus, with a little more than a week left before winter break.
Staples said that the campus community was deeply saddened by the news, as the building was closely linked to Chico State.
The university owned the building from 1923-1964. It was alternatively used as a dormitory and offices for faculty. State Parks took over the property after 1964, but the mansion remains closely aligned with the university, sitting on the north west corner of the campus.
Bidwell Mansion had been undergoing exterior reconstruction and was closed to the public prior to the fire.
Ava Norgrove contributed to this story.
