State cleanup set to begin in Lower Lake after Clayton fire

Sept. 29--Six weeks after the Clayton fire leveled nearly half of Lower Lake, the charred remains of nearly 300 homes, businesses and adjunct structures remain largely in place. But help is on the way for the small town of about 1,300 people.

CalRecycle, the state waste-disposal agency, has launched a debris-removal program and expects to begin carting away burnt rubble by mid-October, setting the stage for rebuilding on Main Street and in neighborhoods hollowed out by the fire.

"It allows families devastated by this fire to look ahead," said state Sen. Mike McGuire, D-Healdsburg. "It starts bringing closure to one stage and opens up the possibility of rebuilding."

Eric Pearson is one of those raring to rebuild. On Tuesday, he picked up the paperwork that will allow CalRecycle to enter his Rose Street property and remove what little remains of his historic home, built in the 1860s. CalRecycle has set up in the Old Bank Building on Main Street, along with other state, local and federal agencies.

"It's a terrible thing, history going up in smoke," Pearson said. He said he doesn't think his former home could be accurately recreated, at least not with what his insurance will pay, so he's constructing a one-story ranch-style home.

Having CalRecycle step in will help. He said the $18,000 estimate he received from a private contractor to remove the debris on his property would only be partially covered by his insurance.

-CalRecycle will accept the amount covered by insurance, if people are insured. If not, the service is free.

It's one of several types of assistance being provided by government agencies and nonprofit organizations in the aftermath of the destructive wildfire, which started Aug. 13. It was ignited, authorities said, by a Clearlake handyman suspected of lighting 15 other fires since July 2015. While the Clayton fire appears to have caused insufficient, uninsured damage to qualify for federal housing assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the federal government is set to cover three-quarters of the costs of fighting the fire and other emergency responses to the blaze, McGuire said. The state is covering 18 percent of those costs, he said.

In addition, the state Department of Housing and Community Development is providing $5.25 million to nonprofits that use volunteer labor to build homes for under-insured and uninsured victims of both the Clayton and Valley fires.

The Valley fire, the largest of four major fires in Lake County since last year, burned 2,000 buildings, including 1,281 homes. It was sparked Sept. 12, 2015, by faulty wiring for an outdoor hot tub at a Cobb-area home, authorities say.

Nonprofit groups that use volunteers to build homes, including Habitat for Humanity and Hope City, can tap those federal funds -- at $60,000 to $70,000 per home, to support their efforts, McGuire said.

The Small Business Administration is also offering assistance with low-interest loans for business owners.

Before the larger debris cleanup begins, the state department of Toxic Substances Control will be scouring the area for hazardous materials and removing those.

The Clayton fire cleanup is expected to produce 30,000 tons to 40,000 tons of waste -- the same amount Lake County residents normally produce in an entire year, according to Lake County Public Services Director Lars Ewing. The Valley fire produced 180,000 tons, he said.

"We are filling up faster than we otherwise would," Ewing said.

The county will need to expand its landfill a few years earlier than expected, as a result of the additional waste, Ewing said.

Meanwhile, it plans to stop taking waste from Mendocino County and to slightly raise the fees for accepting fire waste in order to offset the expansion costs. Meanwhile, amid the destruction that dominates life in Lower Lake, some aspects of normalcy are beginning to return.

"People come in like they used to," said Jordan Boyce, a barista at Lower Lake Coffee on Main Street.

Next door stands the gutted remains of a building that housed the Tuscan Village Winery, Sammi's Sandwiches and a bookstore.

"It still looks pretty rough," Boyce said.

You can reach Staff Writer Glenda Anderson at 707-462-6473.

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