Woodland Fire Department

A fire broke out in the historic Capital Hotel building in downtown Woodland on the night of Friday, August 15, 1986. The fire sent smoke billowing though the Main Street area. The owner was Hector Jimenez. He had bought the 118-year old hotel building with the idea of bringing it back to life. His vision was to create a large restaurant on the second floor, retail stores, and a delicatessen on the first floor. Firefighters were alerted by passers-by shortly before 9:30 p....m. They managed to stop the flames that started in a rear lean-to structure before they got into the main building. Unfortunately, smoke damage was widespread. Smoke poured out of the open windows and from nearby sewers, setting off a series of firecracker-like explosions from nearby manholes. By 10:12 p.m., the fire was out. Firefighters responded from only on block away. They used axes and chain saws to break their way into the building while police blocked off First Street. Passersby and patrons of the nearby taverns and restaurants moved out into the street to watch the fire. No one was in the building at the time of the fire. The location had several prior issues and the building had been broken into three times. According to reports, arson investigators were looking into the possibility that the fire had been deliberately set. See more

It’s almost Daylight Savings, time to test your smoke alarms and change your batteries! Better to change batteries now, than to wake up at 2am when they start to chirp (because you know that's always how it goes!!)

FREE Flu Vaccine Drive Thru clinic at Pioneer High School 10-2.

On July 17, 1991, one of the best recorded fires in Woodland’s history occurred. At 12:47 in the morning, multiple calls came into the fire dispatch center that Adam’s Grain on the corner of East Street and Gibson Road was on fire. While not the silos themselves, the over 31,000 sq. ft. south warehouse that was part of the vegetable oil processing plant was on fire. Along with this, over 17,000 gallons of oil along with dozens of bins of both almonds and canola were on fire a...s well. At the time, Woodland Fire Station 3 was located on East Street next to the side entrance to the fair grounds. From the front ramp, the Captain called for a second alarm which brought help in from all over. Soon after, they requested a 5 engine strike team for mutual aid asking for anything with a pump. Soon engines from Willow Oak, West Plainfield, West Sacramento, Esparto, U.C. Davis and the City of Davis were responding. While in route, the Davis engine called ahead to let them know that a Southern Pacific train was heading north into Woodland and was only minutes away. The size of the fire and placement of hoses and apparatus wouldn’t allow for the train to pass. Due to the quick action on the part of the dispatch center, the train was quickly contacted and re-routed before it made it into town. While a majority of the fire was on East Street, most of the attention was turned to the residences just to the west of the fire. Engines were spaced along 6th Street while Woodland Police Department went door to door evacuating people from their homes. Hoses were pulled into the back yards to defend the houses as others drove the neighborhood making sure the embers didn’t spread. In the end, 14 apparatus from all over the county with more than 50 firefighters helped to battle the blaze that continued to burn for several days. It was eventually determined by the Fire Marshall’s office that the fire was arson and had intentionally been set. Attached you will find a video that was put together by the Woodland Fire Department from all the footage that was taken of the fire. It is also accompanied by much of the actual radio communications that took place that night. While the video looks grainy at the beginning that was just clever video editing and soon clears up. The music is parts of the score from the movie Backdraft that had come out early in 1991 and the music was composed by Hans Zimmer. See more

Did you know!? Since 2011, all new homes built in the State of California are required to have home fire sprinklers... but they have been required in the City of Woodland since the late 1980's! And for good reason: They can increase your chance of surviving a fire by more than 82%!

***Structure Fire**** At approximately 5 am this morning, all WFD units responded to the 1400 block of E Beamer for a structure fire at a construction supply business. Although inventory loss was significant, the fire was confined to the area of origin with little damage to the building and no injuries reported.

Yesterday the Woodland Fire Department was able to treat our unsung hero’s to Snow Shack, during Dispatchers Appreciation Week. Our dispatchers do not get enough credit for the work they do, and we appreciate them and their professionalism. Pictured are Fire Chief Zane, Battalion Chief Komula, and members of Yolo Emergency Communications Agency (YECA) dispatch personnel.

Fire gutted the McMahan’s Furniture Store, closer to the Lincoln side, located in the Woodland Shopping Center Complex. In July of 1984, at 5:36 am, a Yolo County Sheriff deputy was passing by the location and noticed smoke seeping from the roof. Within minutes, five fire engines, one truck, and an air truck, along with all off-duty personnel and volunteers responded to the three-alarm blaze. The firefighters began searching for the fire on the first floor. They then moved to... the second floor, but were unable to locate it. It was discovered that the fire was in the attic. The flames quickly weakened the panelized roof. The roof began to collapse in full sections as the firefighters inside began to evacuate, some of them being hit by debris on their way out. The firefighters took up defensive positions around the building to keep the fire from spreading to other buildings by pumping over 4,000 gallons a minute of water onto the fire. The fire had already spread throughout the building, as it was thought to have been burning 90 minutes before being discovered. The building lacked a fire sprinkler system, which had been left out of the recent remodel the building had been receiving. At around 7:30 a.m., after the fire was under control, firefighters removed numerous pieces of smoke and water damaged furniture out onto Academy Lane behind the store. The only parts of the building left standing were the concrete walls. The building was originally a shopping market designed in the late 1950’s. Just five years prior to the fire, McMahan’s had moved into the shopping center. See more

Just some electrical safety reminders! Here are some small but extremely effective tips to keep in mind when utilizing the electricity in your home! #WoodlandReady

Fun (and educational) activity for kids! Hot or not? Sometimes looks can be deceiving!

Set a timer... even the BEST memories can forget

Create a kids free zone of at least 3 feet around your stove and any areas of where hot food or drinks are prepared or carried.

Integrate Fire Safety into the School Day! Print this safety sheet out to help you identify two ways out of every room!