[env-trinity] Lewiston evacuation lifted

[Tom Stokely]

Lewiston evacuation lifted

  
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Lewiston evacuation lifted
 By AMY GITTELSOHN The Trinity Journal The mandatory evacuation for most of Lewiston due to the Carr fire was lifted Tuesday evening.  |   |

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Lewiston evacuation lifted

Deadwood Road, some areas east of Trinity Dam Blvd. still under evacuation 
   
   - By AMY GITTELSOHN The Trinity Journal
 - 1 hr ago
 The mandatory evacuation for most of Lewiston due to the Carr fire was lifted Tuesday evening.Exceptions are Lewiston Turnpike east of Trinity Dam Boulevard and Deadwood Road east of Trinity Dam Boulevard. Highway 299 remained closed at Trinity Dam Boulevard with evacuated areas east of that such as Buckhorn Summit remaining under evacuation. For more information go online to the Carr incident underwww.fire.ca.gov/current_incidents.The Carr fire that wrought such devastation on communities in western Shasta County and burned into Trinity County is slowly being contained.The price has been high with seven deaths now, more than a thousand homes in Shasta County burned, and tens of thousands forced from their homes for an extended period of time.In Trinity County, Undersheriff Christopher Compton estimated at least 1,300 residents were under mandatory evacuation at the height of the threat here.The majority of Lewiston residents who have been under mandatory evacuation for 11 days got word they could go home Tuesday night during a community meeting at the Trinity Alps Performing Arts Center.Parts of Douglas City were also evacuated earlier, and those residents were allowed to return last week.As of Tuesday, the Carr fire was 167,113 acres and 47 percent contained. Some of those containment gains now include the line protecting Lewiston. However, at a briefing at Trinity High School Tuesday afternoon it was noted that the southwest side of the Carr fire and the far north are still active. On the southwest they are trying to finish a fireline extending from Highway 299 to Grass Valley to Igo. East of Trinity Lake, the north edge of the fire has been expanding. A bulldozer line has been put in to corral the fire in a very large box, but firefighters hope to shrink that box if conditions allow.During one of the many fire-related power outages that affected almost the entire county, last Friday, Deputy Cal Fire Chief Bret Gouvea shared his perceptions of the fire at a community meeting.Menacing smoke plumes towered over Lewiston at the time and were also impressive from Weaverville.Actually, things were starting to look better for Lewiston at that time, but he cautioned that at times, “This fire has made a liar out of me.”Fires in Trinity County usually burn from west to east, he said, but this one entered Trinity from the east. Fires usually burn uphill, but this one got into the Papoose drainage and burned down.It’s the low fuel moisture and the five-year drought, he said.This fire behaved in ways “not seen in the history of this area,” Gouvea said. “There’s been a lot of crazy fire behavior that has been incurred on this fire.”Firefighters had originally planned to stop the fire’s westward spread into Trinity County at County Line Road — but it crested the ridge the road runs along during a crown fire one windy night.Lewiston Fire Chief Mel Deardorff and his crew have been in close contact with Cal Fire, offering support to the many visiting strike teams and firefighting resources that converged on Lewiston.Deardorff said Tuesday he feels Lewiston is secure. “They did a lot of hard work.”This time last week strike teams from communities around the United States were driving around Lewiston, getting to know the roads and the homes in case the fire came into town.A fire retardant base was set up at the disc golf course in Lewiston for two big sky crane helicopters to such up the pink “mud.” And they made many trips to “paint” the ridges where fire could be stopped. Numerous water drops were also made.During some of Trinity’s previous fire evacuations, smaller numbers of displaced residents have quickly found other options to staying in the evacuation shelter. Not so this time around with the wholesale evacuation of Lewiston. On one night last week, for example, the American Red Cross shelter set up at Trinity High School had 35 evacuees staying inside and 57 staying outside in tents, RVs and other shelters. That doesn’t include those staying at friends’ residences, motels and out of county.At Tuesday’s meeting, a Red Cross representative said the evacuation shelter at THS would not immediately be closed. The agencies will see how many evacuees are using the shelter and then re-evaluate.There were also many four-legged evacuees. Last Friday Animal Control Officer Christine Edwards reported that people staying outside the shelter at THS had 47 dogs (plus 10 born there) and three cats. At the animal shelter she housed 21 dogs, 54 cats, 1 bird, 2 goats, 2 mini horses, two horses. At Lowden Park that day there were 26 horses, 2 mini horses, 2 llamas and 5 goats.Shelter workers also helped to care for animals that had to be left behind in the evacuation zone.   
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