Heavy rains force halt of $2 billion Camp Fire cleanup in Paradise amid safety fears

Heavy rains on unstable slopes have caused state officials to call a halt to debris cleanup on the Camp Fire-scarred Butte County hillsides.

Crews have been placed on standby pending a decision next week on when to restart. In a press statement, CalRecycle officials said the stoppage could continue through March 19.

“The recent string of wet weather has created unsafe conditions with over-saturated soil for debris removal workers and truck drivers while limiting the ability of designated landfills to accept material,” CalRecycle spokesman Lance Klug said in a press advisory.

The government-sponsored debris cleanup had been ongoing since mid-December, and is expected to take a year. Some 11,000 properties in Paradise, Magalia, Concow and other hill areas are scheduled for cleanup and debris removal.

Crews had fully cleaned 213 properties as of this week’s work suspension.

Geologists say mud-flow risks are high on hillsides that have been scorched and denuded by fire. Some 22 people were killed in mud and debris flows in the coastal California city of Montecito last year when heavy rains hit after the Thomas Fire swept through.

The Camp Fire, which burned through the Butte hillsides in November, was the most destructive wildfire in state history, consuming 18,800 buildings and killing 85 people. Most of the dead were elderly and infirm residents in Paradise, a Sacramento Bee review found.

The cleanup is expected to be the costliest in state history, more than $2 billion, and has been the subject of disputes among local, state and federal officials.

Paradise residents who had set up trailers to live on their burned-out properties recently were forced to leave again after federal officials threatened not to pay for cleanup.

This story was originally published March 8, 2019 at 11:29 AM with the headline "Heavy rains force halt of $2 billion Camp Fire cleanup in Paradise amid safety fears."