Evacuation warnings expanded in county
Oak Fire now 100 percent contained
Just as the Oak Fire north of Willits in Mendocino County was declared 100-percent contained by Cal Fire, new evacuation warnings were brewing for the enormous August Complex burning to the east.
“This is still a rapidly evolving event,” said Mendocino County Sheriff Matt Kendall Tuesday morning during one of two updates he has been giving daily to KYBU Community Radio in Covelo regarding what has been declared the largest fire in state history. The latest numbers from Cal Fire Tuesday had the total fire at 755,603 acres, a reduction in size attributed to “more accurate
mapping, intel and re-zoning of the incident.”
At noon Sept. 15, the Sheriff’s Office expanded evacuation warnings related to the fire to include “additional areas south and east of Highway 162,” in what his personnel described as part of a “systematic approach” to the evacuation process that has certain zones automatically upgraded to evacuation warnings whenever a nearby zone moves to an evacuation order.
“What we’re trying to do is warn out ahead of the event,” said MCSO Lt. Shannon Barney, reassuring residents in the area that the active fire was still miles from Highway 162, but that even if the highway were to be closed, residents would not be trapped in the valley because there were other roads they could use to exit Round Valley.
As to the evacuation warnings for the area “below the Eel River and south of Highway 162” that has many residents in Covelo concerned, Barney said, “realistically, there’s no new big push or run of fire there, but the (evacuation warning) is to maintain a consistency as one zone goes into order status, then the zones that border that go into warning status, which allows any people in that area to actually prepare.”
MCSO Lt. Quincy Cromer said that the expanded evacuation warnings were part of a concerted effort by his office to give people as much time as possible to prepare for an evacuation, rather than being told to “get out immediately, because that gets really stressful for people.” And unfortunately, Cromer said many residents living near the Oak Fire were not given such an opportunity to prepare to evacuate.
A Cal Fire representative described the West Zone of the August Complex, which is the portion of the fire affecting 60 to 70 miles of the Mendocino County line, as still “zero-percent contained,” Tuesday afternoon, but that there is “a lot of good progress being made, and we’re starting to get a lot of resources there, and we’re putting them to our advantage.”
The Cal Fire representative also reported that “a lot of good progress was being made to the north on Mina Road, so we’re starting to lock in (the fire) from the top, and we’re hoping for some containment by tomorrow’s report.”
“The good news is the M1 (in the Mendocino National Forest) is holding in a lot of areas,” said Barney, describing the forest road east of Covelo as a “direct line on the fire.” Barney added that the full containment of the Oak Fire was more good news, as “those resources can now be shifted onto (the August Complex).”
At the 4 p.m. update, Barney said that a Cal Fire Damage Assessment Team had begun evaluating the Oak Fire and identified “57 damaged or destroyed structures,” with initial damage estimates of “upwards of $20 million.”
When asked what the residents of Covelo could do to show their appreciation for the firefighters, Kendall said, “Really, truly, the government can do wonderful things, but only if we have the support of the community, and just knowing that you’re supported, makes you work a little bit harder. Just give them a wave, and give them a smile. That’s what makes the difference.”