San Andreas, CA…We know people are anxious to get home and know the status of their homes and property. Emergency personnel understand the devastation and uncertainty people are experiencing as a result of the fire, but public safety is our main concern. We want to provide as much current and updated information as possible, so a website specific to the Butte Fire has been created to provide consistent information to all affected. It can be accessed at http://butte.calaverasgov.us. This website includes press releases from CAL FIRE and the various County departments and also provides information regarding resources available to the community.

Repopulation is occurring in San Andreas and throughout Calaveras County. Evacuation orders in certain areas have been lifted for RESIDENTS ONLY; however these areas continue to remain under an evacuation advisory. As residents return to their homes, please remember that an active fire is still on-going, use caution as emergency vehicles and personnel are still in the area and be alert to any changes in fire conditions. CAL FIRE releases information regarding repopulation in the form of news releases as soon as an area is able to be repopulated. The repopulation news releases are available at www.fire.ca.gov.

CAL FIRE also releases incident update sheets twice daily. The incident update sheets include information such as acres burned, containment percentages, resources fighting the fire, structure information, evacuations, etc. These incident update sheets can be found at www.fire.ca.gov.

PG&E has been working diligently to restore power to surrounding areas affected by the Butte Fire. Yesterday, PG&E was able to restore power to 1,200 customers in Calaveras County. 4,500 customers remain without power and PG&E is hoping to make progress in restoring them today if CAL FIRE deems those areas safe. As people begin to re-occupy their homes, they should be aware of safety concerns while using their backup power generators. You are responsible for making sure that the electricity from your generator cannot “backfeed”, or flow into the PG&E power lines. For safety’s sake, be sure to use your generator correctly. If you do not, you risk damaging your property and endangering the lives of PG&E line workers who may be working on power lines some distance from your home. For additional information about generator safety, please visit http://pge.com/generator.

CCWD has set up three emergency fill stations for County residents who have lost access to their water source. Potable water will be provided free of charge on a temporary basis at the following locations:
 West Point Fire Station, 195 Spink Road, West Point
 Ebbetts Pass Fire Station, 1037 Blagen Road, Arnold
 Jenny Lind Water Treatment Plant, 3561 Silver Rapids Road, Valley Springs

The American Red Cross, in the first 5 days of this incident, has provided shelter for more than 1,000 evacuees, and provided more than 4,500 meals with the help from over 75 volunteers. The American Red Cross will continue to meet the needs of the evacuees as long as they are needed. For more information about how your local Red Cross is helping, please call 916-588-6678.

DONATIONS: Have you or are you thinking about making a donation? If so, please use the below contact information:

Red Cross-Gold County Region
Designate your donation to: California Wildfires
Send check to:
1565 Exposition Blvd., Sacramento, CA 95815
OR Call: 916-993-7080

Salvation Army Donations to the Calaveras Service Unit:
Tax ID # 94-1170408
Send check to:
Calaveras Health & Human Services
509 E St Charles St., San Andreas, CA 95249
OR Call: Kathy Houle 209-754-6851

Resource Connection/Food Bank:
Tax ID # 94-2705790
Send check to:
PO Box 919, San Andreas, CA 95249
OR Call: 209-754-1257
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