Ukiah fire destroys building at Mendocino County government headquarters

A vegetation fire Tuesday evening at the Mendocino County Administration Center in Ukiah destroyed an office building and damaged another, officials said.

The fire, at 501 Low Gap Road, was reported shortly after 6:30 p.m. by somebody who saw the flames while driving by, according to the Ukiah Valley Fire Authority.

It burned in vegetation about 10 feet from a modular office building used by the county probation department, according to the Ukiah Valley Fire Authority.

The person who reported the fire rushed to the building and notified the lone employee inside about the blaze, said Battalion Chief Justin Buckingham.

The employee sprayed the blaze with fire extinguishers and knocked down most of the flames, but gusty winds caused the fire to flare up again, Buckingham said.

When firefighters arrived, the blaze had spread to the modular building and an adjacent modular building was being bombarded by smoke. Nobody was inside.

Firefighters quickly extinguished the blaze and nobody was injured, Buckingham said. It burned less than a quarter-acre of vegetation.

The main administration center building is about 75 yards away from the modular builidngs and was not damaged.

After investigating the fire, Buckingham determined that it was likely started by an arsonist or ignited by somebody who was smoking in the area. He did not find discarded cigarettes nearby, but said the area was heavily damaged by the fire.

Buckingham said he could not estimate the cost of the damage.

You can reach Staff Writer Matt Pera at matthew.pera@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @Matt__Pera.