SACRAMENTO March 18, 2019 – Wildfire debris removal crews in Butte County will resume Camp Fire cleanup operations on March 18 following a temporary demobilization due to wet weather. The Camp Fire Incident Management Team reassessed site conditions and determined 80 debris removal crews, consisting of three to five workers each, could safely restart work Monday on properties participating in the state-managed Consolidated Debris Removal Program. Ten additional crews will begin work on Wednesday, March 20.
The Incident Management Team ordered a temporary pause in debris removal operations earlier this month as rain threatened to worsen conditions on already saturated lots. In addition to worker safety concerns, the wet conditions limited the ability of designated disposal facilities to accept materials. Pre-debris removal work including site assessments, asbestos surveys and abatement, chimney tipping, car tagging, and erosion control installation continued as weather permitted.
Phase 2 Progress Report as of March 14, 2019
| Order of Operations | Butte County Camp Fire |
| ROEs received by county | 11,091 |
| Step 1 – Site Assessment and Documentation | |
| Sites assessed | 5,778 |
| Asbestos surveys completed | 4,020 |
| Step 2 – Debris Removal | |
| Debris removal completed | 287 |
| Step 3 – Confirmation Sampling | |
| Sample results approved | 91 |
| Step 4 – Erosion Control Measures | |
| Erosion control completed | 0 |
| Step 5 – Final Inspection | |
| Final inspection completed | 0 |