FOX40

(PLACERVILLE, CALIFORNIA) Aug 12, 2022 — FOX40’s Sonseeahray Tonsall spoke to Diana Swart from the CAL FIRE Amador-El Dorado Unit about the one-year anniversary since the Caldor Fire started.

 

Transcript:

Billion dollars and ranks as the third-largest and second most destructive fire in california last year. The caldor fire started one year ago this upcoming sunday altering landscape and lives in a way many don’t understand unless you’ve been through it. Father and son david smith and travis shane were arrested for reckless arson and travis faces an additional charge for illegal possession of a machine gun. Investigators say a bullet hit an object and hot fragments fell into dry grasses, igniting what would become an almost 222,000 acre incident. Diana smart with cal fire’s amador eldorado. You know, with me now live as we look back on what happened during that fire. Good morning to you. Good morning. The caldor fire burn from august 14 to october 21st of last year. As with much of what people like you face. It was a massive challenge on state and federal land. That’s right. This an president and for el dorado county. It’s in my time here with cal fire. It’s the biggest fire ever experienced.

Just over 1000 buildings destroyed in this incident. Most of them in grizzly flats looking back what stands out in your memory about what happened there and how all of this happened.

Well, grizzly is a community that was just devastated by this fire, just years of drought. Dan spence education made it really difficult it’s just amazing that we didn’t have lives lost in that fire, it’s just stand to show how. Just volatile we are out here in in the timber, a mixed conifer areas.

Aside from that very quick, devastating impact to grizzly flats. Almost right at the very start of that fire. What was the most difficult thing about the caldor fire for you and your agency? Do you think?

I think that the most difficult thing was actions locating the that rain over there is very steep. It’s very like I said, dense, a lot of dry vegetation there’s the drainage right there. That was was difficult to and when it was called in. I, you know, at times will go to the location where it’s cold from, but that’s not necessarily where the fire is. It’s just the reporting person is seen it from that location. Because of the dry feel an and just very dense vegetation was able to take off pretty quickly. And then, of course, we were drawn down with if you remember at the time we had the dixie fire going at the same time. You know, having a lot of resources kind of scattered throughout the state is is makes it difficult as well.

You are always working hard to evaluate each incident and improve and become more efficient. With the one-year anniversary coming up on sunday, what would you say is a lesson learned from the caldor fire?

Well, I believe with the caldor and dixie in and all of the fires that we had in more history. We’re realizing that the effects of that to extreme drought has made is very vulnerable. I know the public is actually better job of taking responsibility, their own private property, which is good to see. But here in el dorado in the wake of the caldor fire, the about a has has developed a wildfire office to address some of strategic lanny to reduce the risk of wildfire in el dorado county. So that’s that’s something that we’re developing through the county, which is that it is a good thing.

And where do you see that, you going forward?

I don’t you know, it’s in the infancy, but I do now that it’s obviously on forefront of everybody here in el dorado county to get education out there for folks able to have a lot more communication within our agencies here. A number of county state, federal, local to do work together see what we can do to really protect their communities here and do better job. First management and communication in all of that so that we can withstand this or maybe even prevent fires from becoming as large as that one.

Containment is now at about 60% with the mckinney fire. We’re headed into a stretch very hot, very dry weather. Temps expected to hit 100. What do you want to say to anybody listening right now about being fire was?

I now just as always, you know, one, especially because people are traveling more be extra make sure that you’re safe. Don’t you know, here to all of the regulations within the area that you’re your camp being are or were, you know, hiking it. A lot of places are not allowing fire at all. So it here to that and maintain your vehicle’s. Make sure that your vehicles are good working order so that they don’t spark a fire by a flat tire faulty catalytic converter anything that it could just park along that the side of the road, then all like always, we really asked people if you have any questions or want more information about any wildfire. Go to ready for wildfire dot work. It’s got a whole bunch of really helpful information. A lot of resources out there for folks who just got to get everybody to buy. And so that everybody’s kind of pulling in the same direction.
When it comes to keeping communities safe and