Early morning blaze devastates Sacramento-area lumber yard

An early morning fire devastated an Auburn Boulevard lumber yard Friday as fire crews battled to contain the flames.

Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District personnel arrived about 2:30 a.m. to the sight of heavy flames at Valley Redwood, in the 4800 block of Auburn Boulevard, in the county’s Foothill Farms neighborhood, said Metro Fire Capt. Mark Nunez.

The intensely burning fire tore through the yard forcing firefighters into a defensive attack, Nunez said, the fire too dangerous for crews to directly confront the flames. No one was reported hurt, said fire officials.

With the firefight focused on stopping its spread, Metro joined by Sacramento city fire crews positioned at a safer distance from the fire used large-diameter hoses and ladder trucks to bring the blaze under control, Nunez said. Flames also chewed through powerlines, introducing more hazards to an already dangerous fire scene.

Nunez said the downed Sacramento Municipal Utility District lines within the fire’s boundary “significantly complicated firefighting efforts.” SMUD crews rushed to cut power to the felled lines to allow fire crews to safely continue the fight.

Metro Fire investigators are determining what caused the destructive blaze and an arson investigator was dispatched to the scene. A long stretch of Auburn Boulevard near the fire site was closed as fire crews continued their work Friday morning.

This story was originally published August 1, 2025 at 8:54 AM.

Darrell Smith

The Sacramento Bee

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Darrell Smith is a local reporter for The Sacramento Bee. He joined The Bee in 2006 and previously worked at newspapers in Palm Springs, Colorado Springs and Marysville. Smith was born and raised at Beale Air Force Base and lives in Elk Grove.