'Largest Wildfire Cleanup In California History' Launched In Sonoma County

SONOMA COUNTY, CA – Santa Rosa and Sonoma County homeowners whose properties were destroyed in the recent North Bay firestorm are being asked to opt-in to what is being called the largest wildfire cleanup in the state of California's history. At least 6,700 homes, businesses and other structures have been destroyed by the fires in Sonoma County since Oct. 8. On Monday, local, state and federal officials held a news conference about the cleanup process, saying the goal is to complete the cleanup and have affected residents on their way to rebuilding by spring 2018.

Officials with California Office of Emergency Services, Federal Emergency Management Agency, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U. S. Army Corps of Engineers are leading a unified command of the cleanup and were joined by county and city of Santa Rosa officials as they outlined the timeline and what residents who choose to opt in can expect in the months to come.

The first phase will be household hazardous waste removal by the EPA. The process to remove toxic debris such as propane tanks, burned out vehicles, air conditioners and refrigerators will begin this week as EPA teams make their way through the burned areas, identifying the waste that needs to be removed from each property, officials said. Then, proper removal of the hazardous waste will commence.

The second phase, officials said, will be led by the Army Corps and will involve proper removal of ash and remaining debris, following by the removal of foundations and testing of soil to ensure each property is safe to rebuild upon. Every effort will be made to use local subcontractors for the work, according to the Army Corps.

Monday's press conference went on for more than an hour as officials fielded questions from impacted property owners, many of whom have recently been granted access to view their devastated properties in neighborhoods including Coffey Park and Fountaingrove in Santa Rosa.

Cal OES Regional Administrator Eric Lamoureux said the cleanup costs will not be borne by homeowners.

"We are not going to charge you for this cleanup," Lamoureux said. "If you have insurance we are going to collect that."

What isn't collected from insurance will come from funds already approved by the state and federal governments because a public health emergency has been declared in Sonoma County, he said.

Santa Rosa Mayor Chris Coursey said a new website, Sonomacountyrecovers.org, has information affected residents need. A town hall meeting is also planned from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 26 in the Santa Rosa High School gym. Representatives from all the involved agencies will be on hand to answer residents' questions.

Those who choose to opt-in to the government-led cleanup effort need to sign and submit a right-of-entry form.

Officials say they are working on solidifying cleanup guidelines for those who choose to opt out.

BEFORE AND AFTER MAP:

Main image: An aerial view shows the devastation of the Coffey Park neighborhood after a wildfire swept through Saturday, Oct. 14, 2017, in Santa Rosa, Calif. (Photo by Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press)