The remnants of the Tamarack Fire have been cleared from structures in Turtle Rock Park and on four other Alpine County properties participating in the state’s Consolidated Debris Removal Program, the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) announced today.
Additional work on the park and the three other properties is needed before the they are returned to county officials for the start of the permitting and rebuilding process.
“We recognize that Turtle Rock Park is important to residents of Markleeville and Alpine County and is an important tourist attraction,” said Cal OES Deputy Director of Recovery Ryan Buras. “We also recognize that the other four property owners want to begin the reconstruction process as soon as possible. We are committed to completing all work as thoroughly and quickly as possible.”
“The Tamarack Fire has fundamentally altered the landscape in Eastern Alpine County. At a time of great challenge we are lucky to have the CalOES team assisting us in the recovery process,” said Alpine County Administrative Officer Nichole Williamson. “Every acre lost has a profound impact on our way of life and community. We remain optimistic about the future of our County and we are grateful for the comprehensive support CalOES has provided us during these challenging times.”
In total, state crews removed over 300 tons of debris from the park. Because structural fire debris can contain toxins such as lead and arsenic, crews hauled all debris from Turtle Rock Park approximately 130 miles to the Forward Landfill in Manteca, CA, which is approved by the State Water Board to receive disaster waste. Metal and concrete waste from the park was recycled, helping to save limited landfill space and allowing the material to be beneficially reused. Accessing the Tamarack Fire area required travelling through the neighboring Caldor Fire footprint presented additional challenges, as Caltrans and other partners continue with major repairs to the Highway 50 corridor.
Although the completion of structural debris removal from Turtle Rock Park represents a major accomplishment, more work remains. In the next major phase of recovery, Cal OES and the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) will carefully assess and remove hazard trees that pose a risk to park visitors. Preliminary estimates suggest that several thousand trees were severely damaged by the Tamarack Fire, and will need to be removed as part of the overall restoration effort. Additionally, assessments and oversight by trained biologists, archaeologists, and foresters will be required to ensure the natural environment is protected throughout the cleanup process. Cal OES and CalRecycle are uniquely qualified to perform this work, having recently finished removing over 22,000 hazard trees from Big Basin Redwood State Park following the devastating 2020 CZU Complex.
The Consolidated Debris Removal Program also removed debris from several destroyed structures at Grover Hot Springs State Park in Alpine County, in coordination with California State Parks.
Affected property owners in Alpine, El Dorado, Lake, Lassen, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Siskiyou, Tehama and Trinity have until November 30 to sign up for the program. Participating property owners incur no direct costs. The Program is also now available to property owners with losses from the Hopkins Fire in Mendocino County, the Washington Fire in Tuolumne County, the Windy Fire in Tulare County, and the French Fire in Kern County. Property owners should speak with their county government to learn more about the program.
Property owners opt into the program by submitting a Right-of-Entry form (ROE) to their county, which allows the state to begin work on their property and incur no direct costs for the removal of burned metal, concrete, ash and contaminated soil from their properties.
Interested homeowners can find more information about the state’s Consolidated Debris Removal Program, including contacts and county-specific ROE forms here.
California’s Consolidated Debris Removal Program Stats
| Location | Full ROEs | Hazard Tree Only ROEs | Total Eligible Trees |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alpine County | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| El Dorado County | 647 | 49 | 3,765 |
| Lake County | 67 | 0 | 37 |
| Lassen County | 27 | 2 | 0 |
| Nevada County | 46 | 6 | 6 |
| Placer County | 43 | 5 | 232 |
| Plumas County | 548 | 125 | 4,957 |
| Siskiyou County | 51 | 1 | 0 |
| Tehama County | 11 | 3 | 0 |
| Trinity County | 52 | 3 | 13 |
| Statewide | 1,493 | 194 | 9,010 |
Property owners cannot start rebuilding until fire debris is removed from their properties and soil samples taken from the property meet state environmental health and safety standards.”
Property owners also can do the work themselves or hire a private contractor, but the work must meet the same state standards as the State Program. If work is started by the property owner or contractor, they become ineligible for the State Program.
Work Complete to Date
| Location | Site Assessments Complete | Asbestos Assessments Complete | Asbestos Abatements Complete | Debris Removal Complete |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alpine County | 4 | 4 | 1 | 4 |
| El Dorado County | 353 | 340 | 62 | 120 |
| Lake County | 64 | 64 | 40 | 60 |
| Lassen County | 19 | 24 | 7 | 2 |
| Nevada County | 42 | 43 | 17 | 19 |
| Placer County | 40 | 40 | 9 | 30 |
| Plumas County | 503 | 498 | 165 | 139 |
| Siskiyou County | 40 | 43 | 13 | 0 |
| Tehama County | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| Trinity County | 25 | 36 | 8 | 3 |
| Statewide | 1,096 | 1,099 | 321 | 382 |
Steps Left to Complete
Before homeowners can begin rebuilding, cleared properties need additional work including:
- Separate contractors collect soil samples for verification at a laboratory that they meet state environmental health and safety standards.
- Contractors next may install erosion control measures.
- Certified arborists or professional foresters assess wildfire-damaged trees in danger of falling on the public or public infrastructure for removal by separate contractors.
- Finally, state officials inspect the property to verify all completed work meets state standards. Debris officials submit a final inspection report to local officials to approve the property for reconstruction.
Property owners can track progress on the Debris Operations Dashboard for the 2021 statewide wildfires. The dashboard is updated every hour and provides users with the ability to search by county or address.
About the California Consolidated Debris Removal Program:
This Program has two phases:
- In Phase I, local government, state and federal agencies have organized teams of experts and contractors to inspect the property and assess, make safe, and/or remove any household hazardous waste that may pose a threat to human health, animals, and the environment such as batteries, herbicides, pesticides, propane tanks, asbestos siding, and paints. Phase I is automatic and includes all residential properties that have been destroyed by the fires.
- In Phase II, local, state and federal officials will coordinate to conduct fire-related debris removal from the property elected to participate in the State Program by signing a Right-of-Entry Form.