When a small
vegetation fire ignited on June 18 near Markleeville, a remote town nestled in
scenic Alpine County, there was no indication that it would be anything more
than a temporary inconvenience.
That didn’t deter
Caltrans District 10 Area Superintendent Reynold Hysell from putting together
an emergency response plan. A resident of the region, Hysell has seen these isolated
fires blossom into full-grown conflagrations – particularly given the tinder-box
conditions fed by California’s four-year drought.
The Washington Fire,
named after the nearby Lady Washington Mine, bloomed from 350 acres on June 18
to 6,500 acres on June 19. It grew to 8,000 acres by June 22, and surpassed 16,000
acres by June 25.
Hysell’s
preparation paid off, as Caltrans was able to instantly respond when the
request came June 21 to close three state highways. While District 10 was
closing portions of State Routes 4, 88 and 89, it was activating portable
message signs, broadcasting on its Highway Advisory Radio stations, sending
e-mail bursts to subscribers and utilizing Twitter and Facebook to spread word
of the event.
“The closures were
critical because they allowed fire crews to operate without distractions,” said
Hysell, who is based in the Caples Lake Maintenance Yard and oversees a handful
of other yards in the Sierra foothills.
Caltrans manned these
highway closures around the clock for nine consecutive days, allowing emergency
service vehicles unfettered access as they hurried between hot spots and keeping
the public clear of the fire.
“With the wildfire
burning all of the vegetation off the hillsides, we began seeing rocks,
boulders, shrubs and trees tumbling onto the road,” said Hysell, pointing out
this his crews removed more than a dozen blackened stumps from the highways.
“We had equipment positioned ahead of time, so when the call came in we could
quickly respond. Keeping roads clear and firefighters safe were our
priorities.”
By the time the
Washington Fire was extinguished, it had burned through 18,000 acres and rung
up a bill of $12.3 million, according to the U.S. Forest Service. The blaze was
sparked by a lightning strike – and Mother Nature also helped extinguish the
last remnants with a heavy thunderstorm.
“We had pickup
trucks with plows and regular snow plows. Our people did an outstanding job
working with emergency services,” said Hysell, noting many of his workers live
near the fire zone. “For many of us, we felt we were protecting our families,
our homes … our neighbors.”
Workers from
maintenance yards at Caples Lake, Woodfords, Peddler Hill, Cabbage Patch and
Sonora Junction joined the fight, as did a handful of workers from District 9. While
some drove plows inside the fire zone, others ferried food and fuel, and operated
wood chippers and portable message signs – and District 10 regularly updated
Facebook and Twitter postings, keeping the public informed of the fire.
When the rain began
to fall, and others started to rejoice over the downpour, Hysell was ready.
“I’ve been through
three of these large fires, which started small, so the Washington Fire wasn’t
my first rodeo,” Hysell said. “It’s not just fire that does damage. Mud creates
havoc, too.
“The Washington
Fire was burning through a lot of vegetation, so that meant the hillsides were
going to be bare. With no roots to hold the rocks and dirt, we knew those would
be rolling down onto the road.”
The first day of
rain sent tons of ash streaming into roadside culverts, overwhelming these
small ditches that help keep excess water from the road. The second day of
rain, Hysell said, brought the mud. Eight days later, on July 10, the rains had
halted and the mountain highways were close to pristine – thanks to Hysell and
his crew of 43 maintenance workers that focused on storm cleanup.
During the
week-and-a-half of rain, crews removed 1,000 tons of material from the road.
“Again, we were
prepared. We knew the rain was coming so we had positioned graders, plows,
loaders and other equipment,” said Hysell, noting that some equipment had to be
brought up to Alpine County.
“We had three
vactor crews, every one in the district, working up here to relieve pressure on
culverts and drains,” said Hysell, noting that debris-laden water could have undercut
the pavement and washed out part of the road. “I give a lot of credit to Chris
Gemmill and his crew from Woodfords, as well as everyone else. This is an
example of what can be done when we work as a team at Caltrans.”
Each successive day of rainfall, and each
mudslide, posed a threat to the Death Ride. Caltrans’ maintenance crew had the
roads clear of debris and in prime riding condition by the day of the event.
“Ninety-nine percent of the highway on the
Death Ride route was immaculate,” noted Caltrans Supervising Transportation
Engineer Rick Guevel, who took part in the grueling ride. “(It) was swept clear
of any rocks, mud, debris. Nicely maintained pavement let you go as fast down
Monitor Pass as you wanted, or as slow up Ebbetts Pass as the legs could
carry.”
Guevel noted that the
2,500 cyclists in the Death Ride would never have known that a devastating
fire, followed by dangerous mud and rock slides, had laid siege to this region
the previous three weeks.
Working in tandem
with Caltrans, whose goals include supporting a vibrant economy while
responsibly managing California’s transportation-related assets, were the rural
communities that count on the Death Ride’s economic impact. Folks from Bear
Valley, Kirkwood, Markleeville and Woodfords deserve a firm handshake for the
role they played in helping make this year’s Death Ride an economic success.
“It’s the biggest
event in the community each year … all of the available lodgings on this side
of the county are filled, the campgrounds are generally filled,” said Brian
Peters, Executive Secretary of the Alpine County Local Transportation
Commission. “The community groups also come together to make rest stops, group
meals … and the Death Ride contributes money to these groups afterward. Being
able to successfully stage this year’s ride was a significant economic benefit
to the community up here.”
Communication
played a role in that success, too. Permit inspector Alan Roberts provided updates
to the Alpine County Chamber of Commerce, which organizes the ride, while the
Public Information Office used Twitter and Facebook to keep residents,
motorists and cyclists informed during the fire and slides.
In addition to the
Caltrans staff that typically man the Death Ride, a cadre of crew members were
on standby and ready to jump into action if loose material had tumbled onto the
roadway during the ride.
“This year, the
biggest challenge (was) the Washington Fire, thunderstorms and the
environmental devastation,” said Paul McAfee, communications coordinator for
the Death Race. “I know there were several thunderstorms just before our ride
and your crews kicked some serious butt in keeping those roads open.”
