In 2015 power lines sparked the Butte Fire , which destroyed 549 homes in nearby communities . Arnold was saved when the weather changed , but the fire caused an increased focus on fire safety , although the community was still , in 2019 , considered a " very high fire hazard severity zone " due to its location on a ridge outside Calaveras Big Trees State Park , surrounded by dense forest of trees killed by drought and beetles
Butte Fire
Butte Fire
Arnold, California