Christmas Valley residents prepare for possibility of Caldor Fire evacuations
Many in the southern part of the Tahoe Basin have been watching for days as the Caldor Fire creeps closer to this populated area.
On Thursday, their fears grew a little greater as a mandatory evacuation order was extended from Twin Bridges to Echo Summit. This triggered an evacuation warning for Christmas Valley, a community of about 1,000 residents, considered to be part of the basin.
El Dorado County Supervisor Sue Novasel has lived in Christmas Valley for 40 years.
"Right now is a good time to not panic, but to prepare. We all know, living in the forest, that it's something we should be doing. So get out there get prepared and it'll make you feel better," Novasel said.
Many in Christmas Valley admit that this fire is bringing back terrifying memories of another large fire that devastated a part of the Tahoe Basin.
In 2007, the Angora Fire — not far from Christmas Valley — consumed 242 homes and damaged 35 more. Novasel said she remembers the Angora Fire vividly.
"I actually had to help my mother evacuate. She was in the line of fire on that one and I recall hearing propane bottles going off popping in neighborhoods around us. It was a very scary time and it brings back a lot of scary memories for many of our residents," she said.
Even those who moved to the area after the Angora fire are very familiar with the stories, and the fears.
"We've read about it, we've heard about it, we talked to the neighbors who have lived through that, and so that prepared us too, psychologically, that it could happen," she said.
Steve Robison says he packed his belongings last week and has been waiting for the evacuation warning to come.
"We're out of here. We're not going to wait for an order to leave. We're just gonna beat the traffic," Robison said.
Ruth Loehr, with the California Highway Patrol, says the evacuation warnings are an opportunity for those residents who need extra time, to prepare for the possibility of an evacuation.
In addition to packing your essential belongings, she says part of being prepared is knowing how to safely leave the area.
"There are multiple routes in and out generally where you are, so know those areas. Know your evacuation routes in and out of your neighborhood and definitely in and out of the Lake Tahoe Basin," Loehr said.
Currently, Highway 50 is closed. Officer Loehr says the remaining evacuation routes out of the Tahoe Basin include Highway 89, Brockway Summit, Mt. Rose Highway, Spooner Summit and Kingsbury Grade.
No comments:
Post a Comment