Jake Hutchison – Chico Enterprise-Record, Calif.
CHICO — The burning of the Bidwell Mansion on Wednesday was arson, California State Parks said in a news conference today.
State Parks District Chief Aaron Wright said the fire was not an accident.
“This was an intentional act, and we can rule out any accidental fire here,” Wright said. “California State Parks is working with Cal Fire and all of our allied agencies to identify the people responsible for this incident.”
State Parks District Chief Aaron Wright speaks during a press conference in Chico, California on Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024 alongside, from left to right, Chico Fire Department Fire Marshal Paul Ricketts, State Parks Superintendent Matt Teague, Chico Police Chief Billy Aldridge, Cal Fire-Butte County Fire Chief Garrett Sjolund, California Highway Patrol Lt. Marc Stokes and Chico State University Police Chief Chris Nicodemus. (Jake Hutchison/Enterprise-Record)
Wright went on to say that State Parks and the other agencies in attendance had no further information to share by the time of the press conference held at 1 p.m. Tuesday.
In regard to the investigation, Wright chose not to disclose any new information. This included identification leads on a suspect, the fire’s starting point, if there was surveillance footage on or around the property and whether the building’s remains are salvageable.
“We want to share more information,” Wright said. “We do. The team has been working tirelessly on this, but I don’t want to compromise this investigation, and I don’t want to say something that’s going to cause any delays or that is going to contradict or stop us from pursuing this investigation and getting this done as quickly as possible.”
When asked whether an out-of-control warming fire could be classified as arson, Wright said investigators would have to look at additional details.
Wright was the only official to speak during the press conference, though he was joined by multiple others including Chico Police Chief Billy Aldridge, Cal Fire-Butte County Fire Chief Garrett Sjolund and Chico Fire Department Fire Marshal Paul Ricketts.
Investigators still need to check nearby buildings for security footage, Wright said.
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“We’ve talked to all of our community partners,” Wright said. “As you can see behind me we have all the different agencies. We are working with the city of Chico and all the different agencies very closely and we are going to thoroughly investigate this and pull whatever we can. But as far as what footage there is, I can’t speak to that.”
Debris is piled near the burned Bidwell Mansion in Chico, California on Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024. (Jake Hutchison/Enterprise-Record)
Wright said more investigators are expected to be brought to the scene to determine if there is more evidence as the week goes on. He added that State Parks is asking that the public not get close to the mansion.
“Currently, it’s not in a safe condition so we really urge the public to stay out of the area,” Wright said. “I know it’s a very tempting piece of history but stay out of the area for safety.”
State Parks provided a QR code that leads to a designated reporting page for those who may have information about the Bidwell Mansion fire. The code takes users to a Cal Fire investigation site which can also be found at https://bit.ly/3VMFaHg.
A QR code provided by California State Parks during its press conference on Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024 in Chico, California that members of the public can use to report any information they may have about the Bidwell Mansion Fire. (California State Parks/Contributed)
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