As the Valley Fire Burned, Caltrans Crews Helped People and Animals to Safety

A Caltrans worker took this photo as Middleton burned. [All photos in this article from Caltrans District 1's Facebook page.]

A Caltrans worker took this photo as Middleton burned. [All photos in this article from Caltrans District 1’s Facebook page.]

From the first day of the devastating fire which swept through south Lake County, Caltrans had crews on the spot.

Charlie Fielder, Caltrans’ District 1 Director said that his agency worked with other agencies to help residents escape the path of the deadly Valley Fire.

“We’ve been an active member of the incident command in Lake County,” he explained.

“We set up roadblocks, assisted with evacuations and controlled access to the highways… We assisted people …trapped in there….It is a very emotional scene as you can imagine down there. We all are working together.”

The agency’s role during these types of emergencies, said Betsy Totten, a spokesperson for Caltrans in District 1, is also to “get the signs up, provide equipment and do our best to keep the roadway cleared for emergency personnel.”

Many Caltrans workers, she explained, worked long, dangerous hours as flames burned around them.

Totten said that during the fires that have swept northern California this year some crew members worked “24/7.”

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As flames close in on the road, a Caltrans truck is one of the last to leave the area.

Fielder agreed. He praised his work crews, “Maintenance is an integral part of our emergency response. They are our first responders on the ground…They assist the stranded motorist leaving the fires.”

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Smoke rises from either side of the road as Caltrans workers kept the road clear during the Valley Fire.

During and immediately after the fires, Betsy Totten said, “[Caltrans crews] have to go out and mark cars that are blocking the road.” In some of the hardest hit areas, she said, the crews see terrible destruction.

“They found a horse that was dead by the road,” she explained.

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Burned signs and an abandoned car will need to be dealt with over the coming days.

As the fires are quenched, Totten says, Caltrans’ role shifts to assessing the damage and making sure the roads are safe for the public to begin using them again. The cost of the fires this year has been astronomical and will continue to climb. Caltrans estimates that repairs to the roads affected by the Valley Fire alone could reach over $15 million dollars.

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Flames still lick at guardrail even as a Caltrans photographer arrives on scene to document the damage.

As the crews begin making initial assessments, some of the areas are still burning, says Caltrans Director, Charlie Fielder. “Others are just like a wasteland.”

Disaster assessment teams head into these areas making note of what will need to be replaced or repaired.
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A plastic culvert melted into a dark grey rivulet beneath backfill which still retains the ribbed shape of the original pipe.

“A lot of guardrail posts are burned up,” Fielder noted. “Some culverts made from [plastic pipe] melted in the heat.

New signs need to be installed and vehicles cleared from the road. On one road in Lake County, an entire viaduct was severely compromised by the fires.

Crews will be working long hours to restore the roads to safe conditions, said Totten. 

The Caltrans spokesperson spoke with admiration of the firefighters and other emergency personnel who she calls “incredible heroes.” But, she says, she is also extremely proud of her agency’s workers. She tells of long hours and personal sacrifice. Two Caltrans supervisors, she points out, went to Middletown after residents were forced to flee and “moved 4H animals–bought them feed out of their own pockets.”

“Working with these [Caltrans] men and women everyday, I believe they are unsung heroes of any emergency situation,” she said. “They are away from their families and…they are right there in the thick of it all. [They] don’t get hazard pay, they are not firefighters and they are not law enforcement but they are at these emergencies around the clock working just as hard.”

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Caltrans and Sunny Brae Middle School’s Kids Helping Kids class gathered toys which were brought to children staying in the Clearlake evacuation shelter.

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Note: The writer’s husband, father and grandfather work or worked at Caltrans.

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7 Comments
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Gazoo
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Gazoo
8 years ago

Thank you caltrans! Another example of people who care about others as much as their own families( well almost)

Norma Hurt
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Norma Hurt
8 years ago

Thank each and everyone of you for your hard work and bless you all for continuing to work horrible long hrs to try to get people out to safety and back into the burned areas to see if they had anything left. I know lot of work is still to come with road . God bless you all.

Lois Wild
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Lois Wild
8 years ago

God bless all of you for the service that you provided!

Bluedog
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Bluedog
8 years ago

Charlie Fielder is a class act. His leadership within Caltrans is demonstrated by the brave response of his employees in the communities time of need.

Sue Martinez
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Sue Martinez
8 years ago

My husband was at the Valley fire he is a fire mechanic and want to thank him for all the hard work he does at these horrible fires he keeps all the rigs and other equipment running . Sometimes he is in dangerous situations out there and people forget to thank all those people behind the lines .

Sue Martinez
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Sue Martinez
8 years ago
Reply to  Kym Kemp

Thank you for your reply I sure will tell him for you .