Cal OES: For fire survivors, deadline nears for state’s no-cost cleanup program

Survivors whose homes were damaged in the 2020 California wildfires, including many in Vacaville, have until Jan. 15 to sign up for the no-cost state debris removal program. The program is also available to property owners with fire damaged trees in danger of falling on public roads and other infrastructure.

In a press release issued Monday, Chris McSwain, a spokesman for CalRecycle, said the state’s consolidated debris-removal plan consists of two phases.

As Phase One comes to a close with the removal of hazardous household materials, Phase Two begins with the removal of contaminated debris, and the property owner “becomes a critical part of the process,” McSwain wrote in the prepared statement.

Before the debris removal can start, property owners must fill out and sign a “Right- of-Entry form,” granting cleanup crews access to their property. Visit www.wildfirerecovery.caloes.ca.gov. Property owners can submit right-of-entry agreement forms with their local governments.

“Wildfire debris often

contains hazardous waste, making it a threat to public safety and the environment,” Deputy Director of Recovery Ryan Buras said. “California’s consolidated debris removal program safely removes it with no out- ofpocket costs to homeowners, regardless of insurance coverage.”

The state of California has begun mobilizing contractors, arborists and licensed timber operators in

24 counties to safely remove residential wildfire debris after more than 8,000 climateinduced wildfires burned 5,700 homes during the recent past months.

Once state-managed contractors have access to properties, initial work includes documenting damage and debris, examining the danger of damaged trees along public rights- of-way, and sampling soils to ensure properties are restored to

safe conditions, added McSwain in the release.

“Crews need signed agreements from homeowners to clean up the properties,” CalRecycle Chief Deputy Director Ken DaRosa said. “Communities and neighborhoods with a higher number of right- of- entry agreements help California prioritize where to deploy crews.”

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO — DANNY WELLS Wildfire debris removal is underway as government-run CalRecycle crews begin to assess properties, such as the one above, destroyed in Vacaville by the LNU Lightning Complex Fire in August, and remove wildfire ash, debris, metal and concrete, some of it hazardous waste, making it a threat to public safety and the environment.