Residents in the small Butte County community of Bangor still tell tales about the night they escaped the LaPorte Fire that burned more than 6,100 acres and destroyed 74 structures. The wind-swept flames sent people scrambling in the middle of the night last October.
Some of the fire victims said they were outraged that when they called the fire department to report the fire, many of them were told there was no fire in Bangor.
Many of the callers were told what they were seeing was the glow from the Cherokee Fire north of Oroville, and the Cascade Fire five miles south of Bangor.
Through a Freedom of Information Act request, KRCR News Channel 7 requested two hours of the 911 tapes from the night of Sunday, October 8 and early Monday, October 9. Those recordings revealed more than 50 people (roughly 1 of every 13 residents in Bangor) called 911 to report a fire in Bangor.