Over 550 Structures Found Destroyed in Trinity County So Far

Barn in the Hettenshaw Valley.

Barn in the Hettenshaw Valley. [Photo by Mark McKenna]

Press release from Trinity County:

To date, the August Complex has been documented to have destroyed 552 structures in Southern Trinity County. Due to active fire behavior, evacuation orders, and present safety issues such as fire debris and fallen trees, many areas continue to be inaccessible for further evaluation.

Residences Outbuildings Total
228 324 552

The number of damaged or destroyed structures is expected to increase, as these dangers are mitigated and further evaluation can occur.

Trinity County Environmental Health is urging the public, as evacuation orders lift, to use extreme caution. Any handling of fire debris is highly discouraged, as handling/sifting of fire debris and ash can be extremely hazardous to human health and the environment. Please note that this debris cannot be taken to local solid waste facilities, and has to be removed properly with demolition permits and hazardous waste evaluations. Trinity County has requested fire debris removal assistance from the state and will keep the public updated with this effort.

Families searching for loved ones who have evacuated due to fires can contact the American Red Cross at 1-800-Red-Cross (1-800-733-2767) or go to safeandwell.org. Evacuees can register and post a brief message for family members who are searching for them.

If you are a property owner and would like more information, please call 530-623-8223 or email [email protected]. Be sure to provide your property address, Assessor’s Parcel Number (APN), mailing address, and phone number. County staff will get in touch with you as soon as possible. Please be aware that damage assessment is underway and information about your property may not yet be available.

More information and resources are available at www.trinitycounty.org/recovery.

Burned home in the Kettenpom area. [Photo by LaDonna Auxier]

Burned building and melted hoop greenhouse in the Kettenpom area. [Photo by LaDonna Auxier]

Facebooktwitterpinterestmail

Join the discussion! For rules visit: https://kymkemp.com/commenting-rules

Comments system how-to: https://wpdiscuz.com/community/postid/10599/

Subscribe
Notify of
guest

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

32 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
stuber
Guest
stuber
3 years ago

Thank you Sierra Club, Earth first, EPIC, Center for Biological Diversity, and all other awful environmental groups, for suing the USFS every time they filed a timber harvest plan, and causing the deaths of humans, and millions of wildlife. Your reign of terror is over. Tony Soprano is alive and well out in our hills, and he is watching and noting the organizations and judges, and law firms who have assisted you in your totally destructive ways. And he, and we, will log, keeping these remaining forests healthy and the fuels down, so this never happens again. Fuck you assholes. You really and truly are the most stupid and destructive freaks ever. Our children have learned how evil you are. They know how many animals have suffered the cruel death by burning to death. A good ass whipping is in order. Environazis suck.

Survivor
Guest
Survivor
3 years ago
Reply to  stuber

Amen

pepperwood
Guest
pepperwood
3 years ago
Reply to  stuber

Um, no. You are not a person of details. The fight has not been about logging but the type of logging. Poor “management”- clear cutting, fragmentation, elimination of mature stands of trees, weakening of native plant populations, eradication of the larger indigenous mammal population, fishery devastation, fire suppression for 100 years- brings you this fire. Neither EF! nor climate change get the honor of blame.

Entering a World of Pain
Guest
Entering a World of Pain
3 years ago
Reply to  stuber

One of the most ridiculous comments I’ve ever read

researcher
Guest
researcher
3 years ago

It really is. I’m still laughing. Sad thing is he believes it.

on edit. ‘m sorry but I can’t stop laughing. especially this line

“And he, and we, will log, keeping these remaining forests healthy and the fuels down, so this never happens again.”

Trees gone, no more forest fires. We used to call that “The Reagan Strategy.”

They paved paradise and put in a parking lot.

I’ve got to add yes please log as many of the pecker poles that are forests have been turned into, cause that has always been the problem plaquing our forests. Most environmentalists I know want forests managed in a responsible fashion. Minus the fruitcakes.

BOBCATz
Guest
BOBCATz
3 years ago
Reply to  researcher

Call humboldt redwood company.. See if they’ll come take out poles..

stuber
Guest
stuber
3 years ago
Reply to  researcher

So called enviros sued for every harvest plan submitted, preventing fuel reduction, causing these horrible fires. Never again will we stand for this. Climate change, global warming? When you buy products from China virus commies, those products came here on ships burning 7500 gallons of fuel an hour. There are 90,000 of them all over our oceans, due to a “global economy”. Buy local made products, it will slow down the pollution. In Japan, they have a system of docks that can load and unload 1200 of these filthy beasts a day. Amazon commercials talk the talk about how green their fleet of delivery trucks are, but most of the things they deliver are from virus China, and polluting countries. The US has reduced it’s carbon output to far below the commie Paris climate accord requirements, through free enterprise, not the govt regulations. Earth First sucks

Geist
Guest
Geist
3 years ago
Reply to  researcher

Oveelogging is responsible for thick underbrush in the first place. Mature old-growth forests do not have the kind of fuel these forests have.

What do you think communism has to do with environmentalism? You think the USSR didn’t harvest timber? Calling anyone you disagree with a communist makes you sound like a brainwashed, Cable News addled couch potato.

Angela Robinson
Guest
Angela Robinson
3 years ago
Reply to  researcher

Oh Reagan, who didn’t know where the mighty Eel was when he was in Humboldt campaigning in the 60s. It was pointed out to him that he was standing along side it.

As for redwoods he did say (and I looked it up to be correct):

“I saw them; there is nothing beautiful about them, just that they are a little higher than the others.”

stuber
Guest
stuber
3 years ago

I see no reason to cut any oldgrowth redwoods. they are magnificent, I ride horses through them. Reagan was not an intelligent man, no thanks. Some of the corny things he said. If you can’t see their majestic beauty, get a lobotomy, open your mind.

dogglife
Guest
dogglife
3 years ago

He gets his marching orders from Trump and QAnon so yeah science and facts are just ridiculous annoyances. Fire fights fire not logging.

Scooter
Guest
Scooter
3 years ago
Reply to  stuber

Climate change caused this not environmentalists.

stuber
Guest
stuber
3 years ago
Reply to  Scooter

No, climate change did not. Environazis sueing the USFS everytime they posted a timber harvest sale did. This caused large thickets of crowded together firs, increasing the heat and intensity of the fire. You should come and listen to the experts who do these things for a living, instead of displaying your ignorance. It is obvious you know nothing about real forest management, like EF, and EPIC, both destructive ignorant peopl.

Willow Creeker
Guest
Willow Creeker
3 years ago
Reply to  stuber

I guess you have seen the difference between a logged over even aged forest and an old growth forest. Which one makes the fire bad? (I’m talking slowly for you stuber)
Also when you call people nazis you automatically lose the argument, it’s a rule.

Also, I’d like to point out the red salmon complex up here by me was started by lightning in old growth wilderness area and burned for almost three months. So you can’t blame forest management. Totally natural.

Holly Creek Love
Guest
Holly Creek Love
3 years ago
Reply to  Willow Creeker

Irresponsible forest management is greatly at fault for the “mega-fires” we are experiencing. Yes, fire is natural (and can be great for the forest), but the suppression and fuel build up over the years, coupled with climate change, has reared its ugly head and produced fires that kill EVERYTHING. “Fuel build up” refers to the brush, snags, week trees too close together and standing dead trees (of which there are millions) due to drought. The “logged over”, even-aged monoculture practices are the old forestry ways that we need to leave behind. I watched the old growth forest I live in burn in September (along with my home). Old growth did not stop the mega-fire in my area. Misinformation abounds and has a hand in how politics have halted our ability to care for the forests.
My aunt is head of the forestry extension at UC Davis. She has fought for 20+ yrs to bring education to forestry and the public, and to properly manage our forests using prescriptive burns, selective harvest and thinning techniques to strengthen the healthy, diverse growth and prepare for inevitable fires. She does not endorse clear cut or mono-culture planting practices. In the areas UC Davis, for ex., has been allowed to demonstrate/practice this approach, the forests are fairing far better (Plumas county, for ex.) and the tree mortality is greatly reduced. Native Americans also used to manage the forests with prescriptive burns, thinning, etc. Historically fires were allowed to burn (millions of acres each year), as it is a part of the natural process. Our government halted this process. Clear cutting and the archaic practices that created this situation are not the focus for aiding forest health. Proper forest care includes fuel reduction and some fire, among other practices. Climate change is a huge player here, as it stresses the forests (priming them for flames, allowing bark beetle to take hold, etc.). Historically, FDR helped our economy when he employed thousands in forestry. Why not open up jobs in forestry and get to work NOW caring for what remains of the beautiful forests? It would be a win-win for all. The stalling, arguing and greasing of pockets is exactly how we got in this situation. It’s not just Cali, btw. The entire western US is in trouble. Seems like it should be common sense, but here we are…

Perry potter
Guest
Perry potter
3 years ago

If they would hire forest service employees to work in the woods and address the problem and not keep filling the areas with Leo’s things might improve in our forests. Too many chiefs and not enough indians

Nuttincowboy
Guest
Nuttincowboy
3 years ago
Reply to  stuber

@Stuber, that would be a typical response from someone who can’t make a living without a chainsaw. The August complex was caused by lightning and fanned by federal indifference. Mexico, Canada and Australia all lent aid before that red faced shitgibbon in the White House got off his inflamed backside and released federal aid. So if you so desperately need a scapegoat (that means someone to blame / punish) I’d suggest you start with a little blasphemy and then you can light your trump flag on fire. But please do so in a proper containment. We wouldn’t want you blaming Greenpeace for your fire.

Fuck usfs
Guest
Fuck usfs
3 years ago

Thanks usfs crews for all your bullshit effort in south county

Misanthrope
Guest
Misanthrope
3 years ago

If Trinity County clowns are counting hooped greenhouses (as pictured) that’s bullshit. Not a structure. Or do we also get to count wall tents as structures during hunting season? Not to say insurance shouldn’t cover it, but it’s not a shed, barn or house. Hell, we’ll hit 10,000 structures at that rate.

dogglife
Guest
dogglife
3 years ago
Reply to  Misanthrope

In Mendo if it’s 120 sqft or larger it requires a building permit. I think it’s kinda bullshit that they need to be permitted but according to the law they are technically structures.

stuber
Guest
stuber
3 years ago
Reply to  Misanthrope

Calling Trinity county people clowns is so uplifting. Don’t worry though, we will eradicate the fuels up here one way or another. The USFS has just lost billions in timber sales, and the opportunities to cut down on the thick stands of fuel to prevent these fires. But, the mouthy little people who think they are experts do not have a clue as to how to manage these forests, especially Earth First and center for Biological Diversity. I would suggest to the mouthy little experts, to try lifting a saw and see what it takes to fall some timber. You couldn’t do it. We will thin these forests, and we need no one’s permission to do so. You just continue with your arrogant name calling and false expertise, we will save the forests. Children of Earth first and EPIC; come and see the millions of dead animal carcasses, the destroyed trees and eco systems, then ask your parents how they could do this. Ask them what has been gained by 25 years of outlaw forest mismanagement, the lawsuits preventing fuel reduction. Ask them about all the dead animals that are not coming back anytime soon. And also, ask them how many fish they are going to kill when the rains hit, washing all the sludge and mud and debris into our salmon tributaries, creeks, and rivers. Ask them if you will have fish to eat next year, will the salmon and trout recover. Those of you children who live in Eureka, Fortuna, and other north coast towns, ask them if the water from Ruth lake will be safe to drink. Especially when the rain washes all those toxic chemicals from burned home sites gets into it. Children of these idiots, you have been lied to. The logger is the forest’s best friend, the logger is the forest animals best friend, hug a logger, fall a tree. Come and join the timber fallers and equipment operators who help the forest, the true environmentalists, the true friends of the forest animals.

Misanthrope
Guest
Misanthrope
3 years ago
Reply to  stuber

I don’t call Trinity County administrators clowns for no reason, Stuber…

I live here, too.
Cutting my own trees.
Running my own splitter.
Responsibly clearing my own acreage to reduce fuels and improve deer habitat.

Not a hoop in sight.
So I don’t have to jump through ’em either.

ED Denson
Guest
ED Denson
3 years ago

Hey, Misanthrope, you’ve got your finger on the problem with government. Of course a hoop house is not a structure. But if it isn’t, how will the government regulate it, tax it, license it, abate it? There’s no money in hoop houses not being structures. There’s no power to rule them if they aren’t structures. If people just live their lives, what use is the regulatory framework, who will employ the inspectors, the planners, the entire bureaucratic organization?

Ullr Rover
Guest
Ullr Rover
3 years ago
Reply to  ED Denson

☝☝☝☝🔔🔔🔔🔔👍👍👍👍

It should go without saying, but you’re right on…

Here’s some lame emojis to emphasize your point.

Misanthrope
Guest
Misanthrope
3 years ago
Reply to  ED Denson

Ahh, I appreciate that point, EDD.

Treebones
Guest
Treebones
3 years ago

I asked the late Mad River District Ranger Dan Dill just 2 years ago why is he promoting a roadside shaded fuel break project as opposed to landscape scale projects.

“Because we will be litigated” was his answer.

Rod Gass
Guest
Rod Gass
3 years ago
Reply to  Treebones

For sure Treebones.

When the academic controlled lawyers control the timber decision makers … the forests lose.

Back before the surrounding country-side was lawyerized, peace and beauty was held in high regards. Now it’s power to my side and you’re too stupid to understand the difference.

OL’ Billie was right
Let’s kill all the lawyers
Let’s hang ’em tonight.

Sorta makes me wonder … how progressive does one need to be, to be lost?

Treebones
Guest
Treebones
3 years ago
Reply to  Rod Gass

Well, I consider myself a progressive, not sure how that fits into your stereotyping.

Angela Robinson
Guest
Angela Robinson
3 years ago
Reply to  Rod Gass

You were alive before 1918?

That’s when the Save the Redwoods League was founded.

Guest
Guest
Guest
3 years ago

The practice of allowing lightning strikes or other fires to rage unabated in wilderness areas is absurd.
This is a Federal decision and the consequences are being blamed on the State.
The liability for any destruction outside of Park boundaries resultant to the antiquated policies should rest firmly upon the Feds’ shoulders.
These policies need to be immediately addressed and modified to the rapidly changing conditions on the ground in our Forests and the in rest of California.

This isn’t about logging or not logging.
Fire is a threat to our very existence.

The National Forests are not just about the trees. It is habitat and refuge for California’s wildlife. It is supposed to be held in reserve.

Allowing it to self destruct is a violation of a Public Trust.

Not to mention a threat to our very lives and homes.

It is unconscionable that so many State wide resources are redeployed out of their designated responsibility area to address these monster fires that should had been addressed by the Feds while the fires were easily extinguishable, leaving all those areas at additional risk.

It’s way past time to rethink things.

stuber
Guest
stuber
3 years ago

Yes yes yes!!! You are exactly correct!!! That’s it in a nutshell. How many animals and flora have been destroyed by the stupidity of the Fed govt? millions. Time to call representatives and change these practices now!! right on guest

Hook it up!
Guest
3 years ago
Reply to  stuber

Nobody was stopping you from cutting a line around the strikes….just a two day hike in the Yolla Bollys…to the first tree.