Oroville >> A fire Tuesday evening south of Oroville ripped through an office building for the Mooretown Rancheria Fire Department. The building, a double-wide trailer that was used as office space for the department's captains, was described as a total loss, Mooretown Fire Chief Ray Ruiz said.
Computers, radio equipment and training materials inside were destroyed by the flames.
The department’s main office, engine bay and maintenance shop were spared, Ruiz said.
The tribal Fire Department, which is located near Feather Falls Casino, isn’t staffed at night, he said. No one was hurt.
“We’re all OK,” the fire chief said. “We’re bummed about what happened. It’s almost like somebody coming in your house and ripping you off. You feel like you’ve been violated. That’s the way we feel, too. This is not supposed to happen in a fire station.”
A tribal enforcement officer patrolling the area discovered smoke rising from the back of the office building about 7:40 p.m. Tuesday, Ruiz said. The officer then saw flames in a heating and air-conditioning unit and grabbed a nearby fire extinguisher while notifying casino officials to call 9-1-1.