Lakeport >> Standing on the steps of the county courthouse Cal Fire’s Mike Smith said the Valley Fire is more than a fire — “much, much more than a fire.”
“When you look at the enormity of this incident, what you’re really looking at is a disaster,” the battalion chief said Thursday afternoon during a media briefing.
Smith’s comment came in response to a question regarding Cobb’s repopulation, aware residents are becoming more anxious to return home as each day passes he wanted to emphasize the scope of the work that must be completed before that could happen.
Smith described the process to reopen as lengthy, with 15 to 20 different cooperating groups involved in ensuring residents are safe to return.
Teams working in disaster areas “have to rebuild 100 years of infrastructure in maybe seven or 10 days,” he said.
Crews’ duties include removing damaged power poles and lines twisted around them as well as weakened trees. They are also replacing all of the guardrails on Highway 175 between Middletown and Cobb and ensuring water and various other systems are functioning properly.
“As soon as everyone feels it is safe,” Smith said, repopulation “will happen immediately.”
Once that occurs, Lake County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Norm Taylor said in the “days to come will continue to have a strong presence in all the areas affect by the fires.”
Law enforcement has continued to make arrests and write citations each day for trespassers and potential looters, but “it’s clear that the message is getting out and we’re seeing fewer and fewer people that don’t belong,” Taylor said.
As of Thursday there were 49 military police from the National Guard on patrol with 16 National Guard troops helping with management and logistics. Additionally, officers from the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office and Oakland Police Department are assisting the LCSO and local law enforcement on patroling fire stricken areas around the clock.
Lake County Health Officer Dr. Karen Tait said residents should begin to reconnect with their doctors and pharmacies as they begin to reopen.
“People become ill more frequently after major life stresses,” Tait said. “Every one in the county experienced that going through this event.”
For residents who still need the assistance, medical personnel and counselors will continue to serve in the following days at the Red Cross shelter at Twin Pine Casino in Middletown as well as the Lake County Local Assistance Center at the Middletown Senior Center.
She also warned residents who are allowed back into their neighborhoods to use the proper protective gear, also available to them at the LAC at no cost, as some people have experienced burns from sifting through ashes and she encouraged them to sign up for safe debris removal.
As of Thursday afternoon the fire had remained at 76,067 acres and containment increased to 85 percent.
Smith said Cal Fire is conducting a “massive demobilization” of firefighters. At the Valley Fire’s peak, there were 4,400 firefighters battling the blaze. That number has dropped to almost half with 2,800 working Thursday, mostly in the interior perimeter of fire dealing with hot spot and mop up operations. Firefighters will remain in the areas in the weeks ahead.
