CA Mansion, 'Gone With The Wind' Filming Site Burns To Ground

A historic California mansion that sat on the grounds of a park used in scenes from one of the most celebrated films in American cinema burned to the ground Wednesday morning while it was undergoing renovations. The community of Chico, which has been victim to several area wildfires in recent years including the state's deadliest in 2018, is reeling this morning as fire crews continue to work the scene.

Chico's historic Bidwell Mansion has been totally destroyed by a fire that broke out Wednesday morning and consumed the building in under an hour, according to details shared by CBS News Sacramento. The mansion was built in 1868 by former General John Bidwell, who also has a sprawling city park named after him in Chico. The city is located 90 miles northwest of Sacramento and is also home to California State University, Chico, where I graduated from in 2005.

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No official cause of the fire has been determined. The mansion was also a workplace for several city employees. No injuries or deaths have been reported so far.

I remember when I attended my orientation day at Chico State in 2003 a group of us were taken on a tour of the mansion and surrounding park, which had been featured in the 1939 classic film Gone With the Wind. Many exterior scenes were shot throughout the park and surrounding streets.

The 2018 Camp Fire, which completely destroyed the entire town of Paradise, is considered the state's deadliest on record. Paradise and Chico are separated by just a few miles.