A critical evacuation route in the burn scar of the 2018 Camp Fire is being cleared of hazardous vegetation ahead of what some climate experts say could be an early and intense wildfire season, driven by unseasonably hot temperatures and a vanishing snowpack.
The project targets the Skyway corridor between Magalia and Stirling City. During the Camp Fire, lower parts of the road were clogged with drivers trying to escape to Chico.
Butte County Supervisor Doug Teeter is a supporter of the project. He says he’s seen firsthand how quickly evacuation routes can become overwhelmed in a disaster.
“I think my personal experience in the Camp Fire of being stuck on a roadway has really cemented the importance in my brain that if the roads are clear … the roadway at least would be a safe place to be,” Teeter said.
The county will be cutting back the kinds of vegetation that can quickly fuel a fast-moving fire, like brush, small trees and other plants up to 35 feet from the roadway, Teeter said.
“When you cross the Magalia Dam, there's a lot of manzanita-type brush. As you go higher up, there's oak trees,” he said. “Cedars grow really easily up there.”
Some residents are worried about losing too much greenery along the roadway, Teeter said. But he doesn’t think that will be a problem.
“I think it's going to be relatively small, but it'll have a big impact for the future safety to the community,” he says.
The project will cost under a million dollars and is being funded through a Hazard Mitigation Grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
Work is expected to be done by May.
