Butte fire reported 100 percent contained

The Butte fire, which claimed two lives and destroyed 475 homes, was reported fully contained Thursday evening.

The fire started the afternoon of Sept. 9 in Amador County, east of Jackson, and quickly spread into Calaveras County. During the past four weeks, it consumed 70,868 acres. In addition to the homes, 343 outbuildings were destroyed and 45 structures were damaged.

Two men, Mark McCloud, 66, a resident of the Mountain Ranch area, and Owen Goldsmith, 82, who lived in the M-24 Ranch subdivision, died in the fire.

Although California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection is still investigating the cause of the fire, Pacific Gas and Electric Co. officials have said a tree may have contacted a PG&E line in the area where the fire started.

A Southern California law firm announced Tuesday that it had filed a civil lawsuit against PG&E on behalf of two Calaveras County residents who are victims of the Butte fire.

This story was originally published October 1, 2015 at 7:17 PM.