“That’s the hub of the community,” Bourasa said Thursday. 8, the fire roared into Feather Falls, taking with it the lives of two residents: Randy Harrell, 67, and Jacob “Jake” Albright, 74, a former Gold Flake owner. 17, smoldering for weeks and then exploding into the North Complex fire, much of the state’s attention has focused on the town of Berry Creek, which was obliterated in the flames, killing at least 13 people. Since lightning storms ignited Plumas National Forest on Aug. As one of two volunteer firefighters in town - the other is her husband, Craig, 57 - Bourasa pleaded with her neighbors: “Get off the hill.” Even during normal times, the pulse of Feather Falls runs through the Gold Flake’s phone lines. In a mountain town with spotty cell signal, the old saloon’s currency is information.

Inside the saloon, the phone was “ringing off the wall,” said owner Sandy Bourasa, 53. The sky burnt the air orange, transforming trees into a glowing green. When the Bear fire barreled over the mountain ridge headed for the Butte County town of Feather Falls, Nancy Baker Preston and her daughter Kellie Swann made a pact: meet at the Gold Flake.Īfter packing their most important possessions, Preston and Swann converged at the historic saloon, which doubles as a post office with a small grocery.

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