It happend in the hills above Fallon Road and Tassajara Road where residents were given minutes to get out.
Evacuation orders came down about 4 p.m. and families packed their bags with clothes, IDs and important documents.
For a time, flames outran the fire crews and Calfire assisted with air drops of retardant to slow the burn. Smoke could be seen for miles.
One resident admits that watching the North Bay fires on TV gave her family a reason to prepare.
The cause of the fire is still unknown.