HomeMy WebLinkAbout09.10.2020 Andy Pickett - Update AT0
NORTH COMPLEX FIRE Situation Status Report (2020-09-10; 1800 HRS)
BUTTE COUNTY EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTER (EOC)
Preliminary Incident Information
North Complex West Zone fire is part of the overall North Complex Fire burning in Butte and Plumas
counties. Additional incident information is available at the following sites:
https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/2020/8/18/north-complex-fire
https://www.facebook.com/CALFIREButteCo/photos/pcb.1891164597691914/1891164364358604/?typ
e=3&theater
https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6997/
Fatalities: 10
Estimate of Threatened Structures: 4200
Estimate of Damaged or Destroyed Structures: 2000
Estimated Acres Burned in Butte County (North Complex West Zone): 65,295 acres with 0%
containment. Note that the North Complex West Zone is based on operational boundaries not
the County boundary. Staff is working on an estimate of the total acreage within the Butte
County boundary. Total acres burned in the overall North Complex Fire covering Butte, Plumas
and Yuba counties is 247,358 acres with 23% containment.
Resources: Engines – 61; Water Tenders – 44; Helicopters – 8; Hand Crews – 49; Dozers – 42;
Masticators – 5; Total Personnel – 1615.
Cooperating Agencies: Butte, Plumas, and Yuba County Sheriff’s Offices, Sierra Pacific
Industries, W.M. Beaty, PG&E, California Conservation Corps, Out of State Resources include
Michigan, Utah, New Mexico and Canada.
1 Butte County EOC – North Complex Fire
Situation Status Report 2020-09-10, 1800 hrs
Tuesday afternoon, the North Complex fire entered Butte County, driven by high winds, heavy fuels, and
steep terrain. An eight -mile wide fire front bore down on northeastern Butte County. Firefighters spent
Tuesday and into Wednesday morning engaged in life-saving and evacuation operations. Firefighters
rescued more than 100 residents throughout the day and overnight as the fire did major damage to the
communities of Berry Creek, Feather Falls, and others, and continues to be a threat to surrounding
areas, including the city of Oroville.
The weather moderated on Wednesday evening with decreased winds, lower temperatures, and higher
humidity, allowing crews to aggressively fight fire and develop containment lines. Lack of visibility
continues to be a factor, as heavy smoke in the area of the fire hampers the ability of aircraft to fight the
fire from above.
The focus going forward is to strengthen fire lines to protect threatened population centers, and begin
damage inspections.
Weather
Today: Areas of smoke. Partly sunny, with a high near 83. West wind 5 to 7 mph. Tonight: Areas of
smoke. Partly cloudy, with a low around 63. South wind around 7 mph becoming east after midnight.
Friday: Areas of smoke. Sunny, with a high near 89. Calm wind. For specific smoke impacts to your area,
visit https://www.airnow.gov .
Fire Incident Briefing will be held at 6 pm and will be a Virtual Community Meeting broadcast tonight on
CALFIREButteCo Facebook at 6 p.m. https://www.facebook.com/CALFIREButteCo
Law Enforcement
Butte County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) deputies and staff have been supporting the event and related
evacuation areas. This includes County staff and an additional 100 mutual aid law enforcement. BCSO
has responded to 124 welfare check requests for persons. Of those requests, 98 have been located, 16
are remaining to be found and there are 10 fatalities. The Law Enforcement Staging Area is at the
Oroville Forebay. Law enforcement is also working with the staff on animal evacuation situations.
Evacuation Orders (Butte County evacuation areas are listed here, see map on following page. There are
additional orders and warnings in neighboring counties)
Butte County Sheriff's Office has issued the following Evacuation Orders:
An Evacuation Order has been issued for the communities of Berry Creek, Brush Creek,
Forbestown, Clipper Mills and Feather Falls.
An Evacuation Order has been issued for residents living east of Miners Ranch Road at Highway
162 & Oro Bangor Highway, which includes Bangor and the Mt. Ida area.
An Evacuation Order has been issued for the communities of Kelly Ridge and Copley Acres.
An Evacuation Order has been issued for Cherokee Road at Hwy 70, south to Thompson Flat
Cemetery Road, and all areas east to Lake Oroville.
An Evacuation Order requires the immediate movement of people out of an affected area due to an
imminent threat to life. Choosing to stay could result in loss of life. Staying may also impede the work of
emergency personnel. Due to the changing nature of the emergency, an Evacuation Order may be the
only warning that people in the affected area(s) receive.
2 Butte County EOC – North Complex Fire
Situation Status Report 2020-09-10, 1800 hrs
Evacuation Warnings
Butte County Sheriff's Office has issued the following Evacuation Warnings
An Evacuation Warning hasbeen issued for the area of Hwy70 from Garden Drive, south to
Lower Honcut Road, Lower Honcut Road east to Bangor, and everything east to the borders of
the current Evacuation Orders.
An Evacuation Warning has been issued for the North side of Hwy 70 in the area of Lower
Concow.
Foothill Blvd to Oakvale Ave
The Town of Paradise has lifted the Evacuation Warning for Zone 14 of their Evacuation Plan.
An Evacuation Warning means that there is a potential threat to life and property and prepares people
for a potential Evacuation Order.
Butte County Evacuation Order (red) and Warning (yellow) map can be found at the following link:
https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=1UU7WvAOESDgfIGHz_y_W670LmrbMxVn-
&ll=39.62127755138423%2C-121.22579895824611&z=10
A list of the Orders and Warnings is also available at http://www.buttecounty.net/
Additional information can also be found at http://www.buttecounty.net/sheriffcoroner
3 Butte County EOC – North Complex Fire
Situation Status Report 2020-09-10, 1800 hrs
Road Closures
As of 9/9 at 6:00 pm road closures are currently established at the following locations:
Oro Dam East @ Canyon Highlands
Oro Quincy Hwy @ Foothill
Hwy 162 @ Foothill
Brookdale/Pierpont @ Foothill
Foothill @ Oro Garden
Foothill @ Oro Bangor
Foothill @ Lower Wyandotte
Foothill @ Dunstone
Dunstone @ Avacado
Dunstone @ LaPorte
Laporte @ Los Verjeles/Oro Bangor
Los Verjeles @ Yuba County Line
Hwy 70 @ Cherokee
Cherokee @ Thompson Flat Cemetery
Hwy 70 @ Big Bend
Lumpkin @ Lake Haven
This information is posted at http://www.buttecounty.net/
Temporary Evacuation Point (TEP)
One Temporary Evacuation Point (TEP) is at the Butte County Fairgrounds in Gridley --- (this was a
relocation from the Oroville Nazarene Church to Gridley). American Red Cross is the lead on
coordination and placement of survivors in hotel resources. Some evacuees are showing reluctance to
leave for hotel stays outside the Butte County area. It is estimated that there are people in 50 cars/RV’s
waiting for shelter (hotel) placement through Red Cross.
There are approximately 120 rooms that are secured and occupiedas of the morning of 9/10. Staff is
also looking for an additional 50 rooms. There is a need for additional transportation for those without
the means (estimated at 50 to 70 persons). Note – this is the information at the time of this report. This
situation is dynamic. Staff is working to identify the total persons served. Red Cross has been reporting
the number of hotel rooms secured but does not yet have collected data on the number of persons
served. Locations of hotels include Oroville, Yuba City, Colusa, Williams, and Sacramento.
AmeriCorps case managers will be going to the TEP today (9/10) to assist with the evacuees at the TEP.
Public Health has requested a Strike Team to also assist those still present at the TEP. The TEP is to
function only as a temporary check-in to then get off-site resources for shelter.
The Explore Butte County group is gathering local hotel information and will connect through the EOC
Liaison, Operations and Logistics with this information.
4 Butte County EOC – North Complex Fire
Situation Status Report 2020-09-10, 1800 hrs
Evacuation of Medical Facilities
Public Health is working with post-acute care facilities that are located in the evacuation order and
warning areas. There are currently four facilities affected. Each have their own evacuation plan.
Coordination includes information on planning, transportation, relocation and level of care.
Animal Evacuation Center
Small Animals - Old County Hospital 2279 Del Oro, Oroville animal shelter capacity is full.
County EOC is looking for an additional facility for small animals.
Large Animals – Camelot Equestrian Park, 1985 Clark Road, Paradise. The site has been very
active with large animals. This facility has available capacity.
Staff is anticipating that there may be a large number of injured animals and are seeking options
for animal care and rescue.
School Closures
All Butte County Office of Education (BCOE) offices, school sites, and programs in the Oroville area are
closed today, September 10, 2020. https://www.bcoe.org/
PG&E
As of 8:16 am (9/10), there are outages 3,072 from PSPS and 4,610 from North Complex Fire in Butte
County. The PSPS outages should come online today (9/10) excepting areas that are not accessible due
to the fire.
Maps and event information by agency can be found at pge.com/pspsportal and
pge.com/pspsprioritynotice. These links are for public safety partner use only. Please do not share event
information before it is publicly available.
Donations
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, no physical donations are being accepted. North Valley Community
Foundation has set up a fund.
USFS Forest Closures
A USFS order prohibits the use of any ignition (campfires, gas stoves, etc.) and the closure of all
developed campgrounds and day-use sites on National Forests in California. No overnight camping of
any kind, including dispersed camping, is allowed on the Plumas National Forest except within the
wilderness area and alongside the Pacific Crest Trail. An earlier order remains in effect closing all trails,
roads, and campgrounds around the North Complex Fire.
Plumas NF: https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/plumas/alerts-notices
Lassen NF: https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/lassen/alerts-notices
5 Butte County EOC – North Complex Fire
Situation Status Report 2020-09-10, 1800 hrs
FEMA Public Assistant Status
Designated Areas: Disaster 5363; Public Assistance, Category B (PA-B). This is the Emergency
Work, Category B: Emergency protective measures https://www.fema.gov/disaster/5363/designated-
areas . More info on categories can be found at this FEMA Fact Sheet:
https://www.fema.gov/sites/default/files/2020-07/fema_public-assistance-fact-sheet_10-2019_0.pdf
END OF REPORT
6 Butte County EOC – North Complex Fire
Situation Status Report 2020-09-10, 1800 hrs