Willow Creek Residents Choosing Not to Evacuate

Firefighters speak with a resident in the Willow Creek area.

HUMBOLDT COUNTY, Calif.(KIEM) As the fire continues to threaten communities along the Trinity River, evacuation warnings are still in place around Willow Creek, Friday Ridge, Salyer and Trinity Village. Some residents tell us that staying in their homes provides them with comfort. This includes taking all precautions possible  to protect their property from the dangerous fires

Willow Creek resident Margaret Peters prefers to stay home to ease her anxiety, as well as protect her property the best she can. 

“You would think that you would want to be further away from the fire, but here you can have your eyes on what’s going on… we could just take more precautionary measures to protect our home if there was spot fires.”

Jason Henderson, another Willow Creek resident is staying home with precautionary equipment in place in case the fire gets too close.

“It seems like every summer we have a fire. So I have a pump down in my swimming pool and pump an inch and a half line up to my house. And yesterday, Woodland Fire helped me out and gave me some hose to lay all the way around my house and a lie and I’ve got sprinklers on my roof. I’ve got sprinklers around my house and pretty much for keeping everything wet and then ready to start the pump just on a you know, whenever we need to defend.”

A deep sense of gratitude is expressed by the residents who have not yet evacuated as they watch firefighters protect their homes and backyards. 

” It’s really nice to have all the resources here helping us protect our homes. I can’t thank the ladies and gentlemen who were here fighting this fire,” said Henderson.

Heavy smoke and strong inversions continue to affect the health of those who have not evacuated and possible fire growth could further impact communities along Route 1. For the latest evacuation and air quality information check in with your local emergency services resources. 

Humboldt County Office of Emergency Services (https://humboldtgov.org/2383/Current-Emergencies)

Trinity County Office of Emergency Services (https://www.trinitycounty.org/OES)

Evacuation zones (https://community.zonehaven.com/.)

Air quality resources (https://www.ncuaqmd.org)

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