Hidden Valley Lake >> As the Valley fire approaches containment, officials are now beginning to shift from emergency response to recovery.
In a media briefing standing on green grass unscathed by the fire near the Hidden Valley Lake (HVL) golf course, Cal Fire Battalion Chief Mike Smith said that there were about 4,200 firefighters still attacking the blaze Monday afternoon, but that number will drop as “firefighters continue to strengthen control lines.”
At the time, Smith said the fire had consumed 75,781 acres; however, the growth is not a result of fire expanding but additional work by firefighters to make sure it’s controllable.
Fire crews that remain in the county the following days will be repairing damage caused to landscape as result of fire control operations including work by bulldozers, he said.
“The effort is to restore what we can of the damage that’s been done by this fire because we know it’s important to everyone here in the community,” he said.
Lake County Sheriff Brian Martin said his office is continuing repopulation efforts in evacuated areas and said Sunday was a big day as Hidden Valley Lake residents returned to their homes. Health officer Dr. Karen Tait reminds residents to be careful cleaning debris as there is potentially hazardous material.
There is not yet a set date on when Cobb will be reopen to residents. Lake County Supervisor Rob Brown said there is still a lot of work to be done in that area.
“Cal Fire working diligently with utility companies,” Brown said, as well as Caltrans, granite and construction crews making roads accessible.
“We can get it done in days if they’re up there by themselves, or we can do it in weeks if it’s crowded with people,” Brown said. “We choose to get it done in a matter of days.”
Since the start of the fire, Martin said 11 people have been reported missing. Three are presumed dead, three have been reunited and deputies continue to search for the remaining five. Details surrounding the investigations indicate there is a possibility they were able to escape, and the sheriff’s office is continuing to check at shelters and social media.
Martin also gave an update on looting in the devastated areas and said that there have now been 32 property crimes reported, the majority of which took place in HVL. Police have made at least eight arrests since Sept. 14.
Jodi Traversaro, coastal regional administrator with the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, said there’s been an “outpouring of generosity” from people willing to give in-kind donations. So much so that there is now a surplus. An army of volunteers is now working at sorting all of the items, but Traversaro said more volunteers will continue to be needed. She encouraged those interested to visit www.ncoinc.org to per-register as a volunteer.
Officials also continue to encourage fire victims to visit www.lakecountylac.com/ to find a list of all available resources, from shelters to recovery assistance. They can also call the Valley fire information and support hotline at 888-565-2787.
