The Dixie Fire, which has burned nearly 200,000 acres in Butte and Plumas counties and displaced thousands of evacuees, continues to grow and even though there are currently no evacuation orders or warnings here in our county related to the fire, Lassen County officials are working closely with our neighbors to the south, offering support wherever possible.
“Lassen County officials have been in regular contact with the Incident Command Teams, officials from Butte and Plumas Counties, as well as other state and federal officials,” explains Lassen County spokesperson Lisa Bernard. “The Lassen County Sheriff’s Office, along with many other regional law enforcement agencies, continues to provide Law Enforcement Mutual Aid to Plumas County.”
According to Bernard, Sheriff Dean Growdon, and Lassen County Office of Emergency Services Chief, Silas Rojas met With Cal-Fire Incident Management Team 1, in Butte County, and California Incident Command Team Number 2 in Plumas County on Friday.
“It has not become necessary to issue evacuation warning or orders to residents of Lassen County at this time. However, we want to assure the public that preparations are being made, and we are coordinating those efforts with other involved agencies. We have mapped evacuation zones, drafted language to describe those zones, and made plans for how evacuations of each area will take place if and when that becomes necessary so that we can execute evacuation notices quickly and efficiently.”
Bernard said that the Sheriff’s Office takes the issuance of evacuation warnings and orders very seriously, and they understand the hardship that comes along with having to leave one’s home.
“We will only issue these orders if and when it becomes necessary,” said Bernard. “Lassen County’s strength is in its people. We take care of our own. We urge you to check on your neighbors. Coordinate with them if you can.”
Take steps now to prepare yourself, your loved ones, and your animals for the possibility that you may need to evacuate quickly. Cal Fire has great resources for preparing for an evacuation available on their website www.readyforwildfire.org including checklists and videos. People who need help evacuating or who have livestock to move are encouraged to leave early if they feel they are at risk.
The Sheriff’s Office utilizes the CodeRED Emergency Alert System to send evacuation notifications. You can click here to register. Try using the address of a nearby store or landmark if their system won’t accept your address. We recommend choosing the option for mobile alerts which will push alerts through based on your immediate location and are prioritized by most cell phone carriers so they seem to go through even when cell service is spotty.
“We urge citizens to stay alert and watch for changing fire conditions. Stay clear of areas under evacuation order or warning. Drive with your headlights on and yield to emergency personnel.”
