Cal Fire said fire crews made ‘excellent progress’ on Friday to contain the Irish Fire in Amador County.
According to the agency, the Irish Fire consumed 790 acres and is 80 percent contained as of Saturday afternoon. Firefighters spent Saturday mopping up hot spots, as people dealt with the aftermath of the blaze.
Residents returned to their homes Saturday after officials lifted evacuations orders for the affected areas.
Alex Belogub told ABC10 he was thankful that crews stopped the fire from reaching his trailer and the house he’s building.
“It hits you hard realizing you can lose everything," Belogub said.
Belogub has lived in Ione for less than a year, and says he’s grateful the damage to his property wasn’t worse.
“It can be really devastating, but luckily no one lost their houses here," adds Belogub.
Cal Fire officials said no homes were destroyed, however seven outbuildings were burned. Belogub’s neighbor, William Bullard, lost one of his cars, livestock pens, and all his outbuildings.
"I feel devastated – horrible," said Bullard, as he walked through the rubble of his ranch.
Bullard said all the hay he had to feed his cattle was burned.
"I'm a rancher and the animals are the biggest thing,” he said. “There's no food or anything for them until late in the winter when the green grass comes back, so everything is going to have to come out of pocket to buy more food and hay."
If you’d like to help Bullard and his family rebuild their ranch, click here.