Photos by Christina Denys
Residents affected by the Borel Fire attended a post-fire meeting, at the Kern River Valley Senior Center, in Lake Isabella, Thursday September 19.
Kern County public Health was at the post Borel Fire meeting, handing Havilah residents Right of Entry forms to fill out, with multiple pages for notes.
CalOES, Kern County Planning and Natural Resources, and Kern County Public Works were all on site to present the debris removal program to Havilah residents who survived tremendous losses during the Borel Fire.
Only structures 120 sq ft or larger were eligible for the debris removal. The State Consolidated Debris Removal Program provides comprehensive debris removal, soil analysis, hazard tree removal, environmental cleanup services to property owners at no out of pocket costs according to the materials the groups provided to those attending.
The meeting was based on the fact that the State of California approved phase-2 for cleaning up homes, which the Borel Fire ravaged. As BakersfieldNow reported Thursday September 12 hazardous materials were already being removed from the region.
Before this phase, the California Department of Toxic Substances Control (CDTSC) took two weeks to conduct the first phase, which began August 26. At that time authorities urged residents of the area not to return to their properties without the proper protective equipment, and to refrain from disturbing the area by cleaning ash or debris.
