California Auburn Fire Contained

The fire by Auburn in Northern California that consumed 63 houses and three businesses has been completely contained, while devastated property owners are sifting through ashes and rubble.

The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said the fire was 100 percent contained by 6 pm Tuesday, and all the evacuation orders have been lifted in the Auburn area about 30 miles northeast of Sacramento.

Aldrich says firefighters were working Tuesday to wipe out a few remaining hotspots and islands of fire.

The fire broke out Sunday and spread quickly through suburban neighborhoods in Auburn, which is in the Sierra Foothills, burning about 340 acres, or about half a square mile.

It was the most destructive fire in California since a series of fires destroyed 106 homes in Butte County north of Sacramento in June 2008.

At a meeting Tuesday night in Auburn, Placer County officials told residents they would waive the normal demolition permit fees to help them expedite their recovery and rebuilding.

Insurance company representatives responded very quickly to the fire, according to the Sacramento Bee. The companies even had people in the emergency shelters during the fire, which started and spread very quickly, and those people had the ability to call up satellite images of the fire to let the residents see if their home had been burned.
The Associated Press Contributed to this story.