A woman was arrested in connection with a vegetation fire that spread and destroyed a business in Nevada County on Friday afternoon. Several fire departments were called to the Nevada Wildfire, burning in the area of Nevada City Highway and Highway 49, just after 3:30 p.m. Cal Fire said firefighters had stopped the fire’s progress as of 4:50 p.m. Livecopter 3 footage showed black smoke rising from the burned-out Sierra Motorsports. Authorities told KCRA3 that the family-owned business was completely burned. Grass Valley Police Department said officers arrested a woman in connection to the incident, but the cause of the fire is still under investigation. Authorities identified the woman arrested as Elizabeth Houston of Nevada County. She was incarcerated at Wayne Brown Correctional Facility on charges of arson of an inhabited structure. Prison officials confirmed that Houston was released a few days ago. She was incarcerated on Aug. 13 on a vehicle theft charge and released the next day. “This was a difficult scene,” Grass Valley Police Department said in a Facebook post. “The shop’s repair shop had some old fuel and flammable materials used in repairs.” KCRA 3 spoke with longtime customers of the store, who said they are saddened for the owner. “There is no other bike shop in town. This is our shop. It’s a family-owned business,” Kyle Perry said. “Every day I open that door and my mom and dad are at the desk. Their black Labrador is sitting on the floor and when I walk in they greet me like I’m family.” “It’s been here ever since I’ve lived in town. I’ve been here since I was 10 years old,” Ryan Hodges said. “It’s so hard to see innocent people being harmed by something like this.” Nevada County issued evacuation orders for the Gates Place and Brunswick areas, but the orders have since been lifted. The Grass Valley School District said the fire is affecting some of its bus routes. The district said bus routes 48, 51 and 52 were being redirected back to Lyman Gilmore Middle School and parents should pick up their children there. Livecopter 3 footage showed Banner Lava Cap Road was closed in the area as firefighters worked to contain the fire. The Nevada County Unified Fire District was handling the fire in the county and Cal Fire was handling the wildland portion. According to Cal Fire, the fire burned one acre. No injuries were reported. Here are some key websites that are important for Californians this wildfire season: Cal Fire Wildfire Incidents: Cal Fire is tracking wildfire incidents here. Sign up here to receive Cal Fire text updates on wildfires burning near your zip code. Cal Fire SCU: This is the agency responding to the Patterson Fire. Wildfires on Federal Lands: Federal wildfire incidents are tracked here. Prepare for a power outage: Ready.gov has information here on how to prepare for a power outage and what to do when it comes back on. Learn how to report, track and report PG&E outages here. How to stay informed when your power or cell service goes out: How to find your local National Weather Service radio station. Prepare for road closures: Download Caltrans’s QuickMap app or check the latest QuickMap road conditions here. Read more of California’s top stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter
GRASS VALLEY, Calif. —
A woman has been arrested in connection with a vegetation fire that spread and destroyed a business in Nevada County Friday afternoon.
Multiple fire departments responded to the Nevada Fire near Nevada City Highway and Highway 49 just after 3:30 p.m.
Cal Fire said firefighters had contained the blaze as of 4:50 p.m.
Livecopter 3 footage showed black smoke rising from the burned remains of Sierra Motorsports, and authorities told KCRA 3 the family-owned business was completely destroyed.
The Grass Valley Police Department said officers have arrested a woman in connection to the incident, but they are still investigating how the fire started.
Authorities identified the woman arrested as Elizabeth Haston of Nevada County, who was incarcerated at Wayne Brown Correctional Facility on a charge of arson of an occupied structure.
Prison officials confirmed that Houston was released a few days ago. She was arrested on Aug. 13 on suspicion of vehicle theft and released the next day.
Nevada County Sheriff’s Office
Elizabeth Houston, 49
“This was a difficult scene,” the Grass Valley Police Department said in a Facebook post. “The repair shop had a lot of old fuel and flammable materials stored in it that were used in repairs.”
KCRA 3 spoke with longtime customers of the store, who shared their heartbreak for the owners.
“There’s no other bike shop in town. This is our shop. It’s a family-run shop,” Kyle Perry said. “Every day I open these doors and my mom and dad are at the desk. Their black Labrador is sitting on the floor and when I walk in, they greet me like I’m family.”
“This has been going on for as long as I’ve been in town. I’ve lived here since I was 10 years old,” Ryan Hodges said. “It’s very painful to see innocent people being harmed by something like this.”
Nevada County issued evacuation orders for the Gates Place and Brunswick areas, but the orders have since been lifted.
The Grass Valley School District said some bus routes have been affected by the fire. The district said bus routes 48, 51 and 52 are being redirected to Lyman Gilmore Middle School and parents should pick up their children there.
Banner Lava Cap Road appears to have been closed in the area while firefighters battled the blaze, according to footage from Livecopter 3.
The Nevada County Unified Fire Agency was handling the county portion of the fire, while Cal Fire was handling the wildland portion.
Cal Fire said the fire has burned one acre.
No one was injured.
Here are some key websites that are important for all Californians during wildfire season.
For more California top news, click here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter
