County signs extra contract with Republic for fire cleanup
NILAND — The Imperial County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved an agreement for $600,000 with a waste management consulting service for additional cleanup required for the June 28 fire here.
The county already had an agreement with Republic Services for oncall-as-needed cleanup in the unincorporated communities in the county.
However, due to the threats to public health and safety from the debris from the fire and the limited ability of the affected property owners to pay for cleanup and waste removal, a secondary agreement was reached with Republic Services.
The company agreed to conduct fire cleanup at a reduced cost from that of the on-call agreement up to an amount not to exceed $600,000.
Under the agreement written and signed by Public Health Director Janette Angulo, the county estimates conservatively 7,500 tons of debris will need to be removed based on the size and type of residential structures affected by the fire. The state’s disaster debris removal data based on larger residential homes and timber-framed houses.
The county will seek reimbursement up to 75 percent of the costs through the California Disaster Act Assistance, but the governor would need to declare an emergency for the reimbursement and has yet to do so.
The cause of the June 28 fire remains undetermined, as does the identity of the individual whose body was found near where the fire had originated, said county Fire Department Chief Alfredo Estrada Jr.
Costs associated with personal and property damage are estimated to be $3.6 million. Nearly 40 occupied and unoccupied structures were destroyed as a result of the blaze, which started as a brushfire west of Highway 111 and whose embers were carried eastward by
strong winds.
Currently, displaced families are being housed in travel trailers that were obtained by the county from the state. Most of those travel trailers are situated at Del Yermo RV Park in Calipatria, with a smaller number spread among Niland and the Robert Noriega Mobile Home Park in Brawley.