Evacuation Orders Issued for Residents east of Willow Creek by HCSO and Evacuation Warnings Issued for Residents Near Salyer by TCSO

Video by Nicholas Holliday taken before 3:30 of the Oak Fire on Oak Knob.

******NEW ORDERS/EVACUATIONS ISSUED at 7:36 p.m. Click this link for more recent information: Evacuation Orders and Warnings Expand as of 7:36 p.m. for Residents of the Willow Creek Area********************

________________________________________________

Multiple lightning fires are burning across eastern Humboldt County and western Trinity County–most fairly close to the town of Willow Creek along Hwy 299. The fires began after a lightning storm swept northward early this morning.

The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Department issued “an immediate EVACUATION ORDER…zones HUM-E058 and HUM-E061, east of Willow Creek.”  The order states, “Residents in these zones should evacuate now. There is no immediate threat to Willow Creek proper. An evacuation center has been established at Trinity Valley Elementary School, located at 730 Highway 96, Willow Creek. For a map of affected zones, visit: community.zonehaven.com. For more information go to humboldtsheriff.org/emergency.”

The red is the zone under an evacuation order. The blue is an advisory.

Earlier, the Trinity County Sheriff’s Office issued an Evacuation Warning for residents close to the Campbell Fire in Trinity County. The warning states, “Per the Trinity County Sheriff’s Office there is an active fire in the area of Salyer, north of State Highway 299 to the county line. This is an EVACUATION WARNING, safety personnel and vehicles will be on the roadway. Proceed with caution while travelling.”

TCSO gives the same evacuation point as does the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office.

A plane drops pink retardant on the Campbell Fire. [Photo from Humboldt County Supervisor Steve Madrone]

The smaller smoke on the left is the Charlie Fire and above it, the large column, is the Oak Fire. [Photo from Nicholas Holliday]

A distance view of the Oak Fire still shows the whiter smoke rising slightly in front of the Charlie Fire. [Photo from Humboldt County Supervisor Steve Madrone]

EVACUATION ORDER: Immediate threat to life. This is a lawful order to leave now. The area is lawfully closed to public access.
EVACUATION WARNING: Potential threat to life and/or property. Those who require additional time to evacuate, and those with pets and livestock should leave now.

Below is an evacuation checklist to help you plan ahead for leaving:

Evacuation-Checklist-2020-one-page

List from here:

• PRE-EVACUATION PREPARATION STEPS

When an evacuation is anticipated, follow these checklists (if time allows) to give your home the best chance of surviving a wildfire.

Home Evacuation Checklist – How to Prepare for Evacuation:

Inside the House

• Have your Emergency Supply Kit/Evacuation Bag ready to go

• Ensure a Wildfire Action Plan is prepared ahead of time

• Make sure you know your community’s emergency response plan and have a plan on where to go when it is time to evacuate, and best routes for leaving your location.

• Shut all windows and doors, leaving them unlocked.

• Remove flammable window shades, curtains and close metal shutters.

• Remove lightweight curtains.

• Move flammable furniture to the center of the room, away from windows and doors.

• Shut off gas at the meter; turn off pilot lights.

• Leave your lights on so firefighters can see your house under smoky conditions.

• Shut off the air conditioning.

Outside

• Gather up flammable items from the exterior of the house and bring them inside (patio furniture, children’s toys, door mats, trash cans, etc.) or place them in your pool.

• Turn off propane tanks.

• Move propane BBQ appliances away from structures.

• Connect garden hoses to outside water valves or spigots for use by firefighters. Fill water buckets and place them around the house.

• Don’t leave sprinklers on or water running, they can affect critical water pressure.

• Leave exterior lights on so your home is visible to firefighters in the smoke or darkness of night.

• Put your Emergency Supply Kit in your vehicle.

• Back your car into the driveway with vehicle loaded and all doors and windows closed. Carry your car keys with you.

• Have a ladder available and place it at the corner of the house for firefighters to quickly access your roof.

• Seal attic and ground vents with pre-cut plywood or commercial seals.

• Patrol your property and monitor the fire situation. Don’t wait for an evacuation order if you feel threatened.

• Check on neighbors and make sure they are preparing to leave.

Animals

• Locate your pets and keep them nearby.

• Prepare farm animals for transport and think about moving them to a safe location early.

• Pets:  https://www.livingwithfire.com/get-prepared/

Step 5: Prepare for Pets

Prepare to address the needs of your pets if you have to evacuate.

• Make sure dogs and cats wear properly fitted collars with identification, vaccination, microchip and license tags.

• Your pet evacuation plan should include routes, transportation needs and host sites. Share this plan with trusted neighbors in your absence.

• Exchange veterinary information with neighbors and file a permission slip with the veterinarian authorizing emergency care for your animals if you cannot be located.

• Make sure all vehicles, trailers and pet carriers needed for evacuation are serviced and ready to be used.

• Assemble a pet to-go bag with a supply of food, non-spill food and water bowls, cat litter and box and a restraint (chain, leash or harness). Additional items to include are newspaper and paper towels, plastic bags, permanent marker, bleach/disinfectant solution and water buckets.