June 24 community meeting in Washington CA. Photo: YubaNet
Washington, CA June 24, 2008 - The small town of Washington in Nevada County was filled with smoke and quite a few questions on Tuesday evening when Greg Cleveland, Information Officer for the Southern California Interagency Incident Management Team #1, welcomed residents to a community meeting.
As it is customary on incidents close to a town, these meetings are held to give locals the latest facts on a fire and address their concerns. Cleveland introduced Yuba River District Ranger Jean M. Masquelier who gave a "big picture" overview. Masquelier said the current situation, with over 1,000 fires ignited by the lightning event on Friday and Saturday, was taxing resources from all over the state. Incidents sparked by lightning on Friday were able to draw on resources from all over the state, whereas the Tahoe was affected only on Saturday afternoon. However, resources are on scene and more are arriving daily. She gave a brief overview of the current fires and turned the meeting over to the Incident Commander, Carlton Joseph.
Incident Commander Carlton Joseph. Photo: YubaNet
Joseph explained the structure of his incident management team. These teams are called in when local resources are overwhelmed and bring specialists in all sectors of fire suppression and management to an incident. He announced a new team arriving for the American River Complex, also located on the Tahoe National Forest. His team will remain on the Yuba River Complex and focus all their efforts on the four remaining fires.
Operations Manager Rene McCormick briefed the public on Tuesday's progress. She reported that once the anchor point on the Yuba River was established, crews constructed line from Scotchman drainage towards Omega Diggins, effectively cutting off the Scotchman fire's path to town. McCormick labeled the fire "not a clean burn," which presents some safety concerns for the firefighters. On Tuesday night, the incoming crew will "make a big push," and hold the western corner of the incident. This strategy protects both Alpha Diggins and the town of Washington.
Vic Ferrera, Nevada County OES Manager, was on hand to answer questions about the evacuation procedures. The county is working closely with the team and monitoring the situation carefully. In the unlikely event of an evacuation being ordered, residents would be notified by sheriff's deputies and the reverse 911 phone system.
Residents asked why they haven't been notified of the location of the evacuation shelter. Ferrera explained the location is changing according to the situation and that, in case of an evacuation, sheriff's deputies will communicate the location with the evacuation order.
June 24 community meeting in Washington CA. Photo: YubaNet
"What can the town do to help the firefighters?" was another question. "Let our engines have room to maneuver and, since we're from out of the area, point us in the right direction if we're looking for a particular landmark," said McCormick.
District 5 supervisor Ted Owens asked for an estimate of the mop-up operations after containment. IC Joseph said he expected it to be at least two weeks, given the topography and the fuels involved.
Road closures were also discussed. Washington Road is closed except to residents, property owners, and those with prior reservations at Pine Air and River Rest Campgrounds. Bowman Lake Road (close to the Fall Fire) is closed except for residents with proper identification. The closures could be expanded to ensure firefighter and residents' safety.
People thanked the firefighters for their efforts and left the meeting reassured.
For continuous updates on the fires, please visit our Fire News section.
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