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170
C ALI FORN IA’S OLDE ST NE W SPAPER
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VOLUME 170 • ISSUE 97 | 75¢
mtdemocrat.com
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 18, 2021
Homes destroyed as Caldor Fire grows to massive acreage Mountain Democrat staff A forest fire burning near Grizzly Flat and Omo Ranch grew about 4,000 acres overnight Monday, destroying structures and threatening some 2,000 more in its path. Cal Fire officials reported Tuesday morning that structures have been razed by the blaze but unsafe fire conditions are preventing teams from assessing the extent of destruction. The Grizzly Flat Post Office and Walt Tyler Elementary have burned to the ground. The fire, which is moving northeast, has reportedly burned 6,500 acres in three days. Two civilian injuries have been reported. Scanner traffic Tuesday afternoon indicated the fire may have exploded to more than 41,000 acres, but that number was not confirmed by fire officials as of press time. Containment of the fire, dubbed the Caldor Fire, remains at 0%. The community of Grizzly Flat was evacuated Monday night amid what Cal Fire officials described as “extreme fire behavior.” Additional evacuation orders are expected as the blaze could continue to burn toward multiple populated communities. Cal Fire officials say the fire is expected to impact Sly Park Lake. The Caldor Fire was first reported at about 7 p.m. Saturday on the Eldorado National Forest near Sopiago Creek Road in the Omo Ranch area. U.S. Forest Service, Cal Fire and Pioneer Fire Protection District firefighters are working around the clock to attack the “very active” fire. The El Dorado County Sheriff ’s Office has issued mandatory evacuation orders for residents in the areas of Barney Ridge east of the community of Omo Ranch, Leoni Meadows, Pi’Pi Valley, Dogtown Creek, the Caldor area east of Omo Ranch and the Pi’Pi area to North South Road. In Grizzly Flat, Somerset and Happy Valley evacuation orders are in effect for all roads off Grizzly Flat Road east of Mt. Aukum Road and all roads off Happy Valley Road east of Mt. Aukum Road to Sciaroni Road. Pollock Pines residents east of Sly Park Road and south of Highway 50 up to Ice House Road have been ordered to evacuate. Mandatory evacuation orders are also in effect for those living north of Mormon Emigrant Trail, including the Sly Park Lake area. ■
See CALDOR FIRE, page A3
PLACE ADDRESS LABEL HERE
Photo courtesy of PG&E
Smoke from the Caldor Fire, which grew to 6,500 acres overnight Monday, rises over southern El Dorado County Tuesday morning.
GRIZZLY FLAT RESIDENTS DISPLACED on his back.
Thomas Frey & Eric Jarimishian Staff writer Grizzly Flat residents displaced by the Caldor Fire waited outside of roadblocks and at evacuation centers Monday for news about their homes. Bruce Duncan and his family were among those evacuated as the fire had spread to his neighborhood and burned his home. Duncan, his wife and two young children retreated Monday night to the Somerset Store parking lot on Mt. Aukum Road just outside of a closed Grizzly Flat Road.
USFS photo by Kaleena Lynde
A U.S. Forest Service fire crew responds to the Caldor Fire, which started Saturday night.
“It’s a tragedy. There is going to be a lot of people up there who are going to need help. A lot of people lost a lot of stuff.” Many who evacuated also headed to the Pleasant Valley Holiday Market or to area evacuation centers. At an evacuation center at the Diamond Springs Fire Hall one woman who did not wish to give her name but said she lives near Capps Crossing Road escaped around 10 p.m. with her two children and a friend along with their dogs and cats.
Duncan said the fire quickly spread overnight through Dogtown Creek across Huggy Bear Lane, tearing through Grizzly Flat.
“We were packing the dogs in the car and my son said it looks like it’s snowing and it was just ash raining down,” she said.
“When I left the trees were falling and embers were burning out of the ground, and this is what I got left,” said Duncan, referring to the clothes
“I didn’t get an alert on my phone because I had trouble signing up for ■
See RESIDENTS, page A7
Costco and EDH 52 seek community input Sel Richard Staff writer More than 100 community members showed up in person and online to last week’s Area Planning Advisory Committee meeting to share their opinions about the prospect of Costco coming to El Dorado Hills. Pre-applications submitted to the county this past April were presented for both sections of the EDH 52 parcel. North of Silva Valley Parkway, a 31,000-square-foot retail component will house five casual dining uses, a gas station and other retail
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services, possibilities include a dry cleaner or nail salon. Previous iterations included a hotel but the proposed six-building self-storage facility was deemed more feasible and will also offer RV and boat storage. Main access will be obtained through a traffic signal midway along the site on Silva Valley Parkway, with secondary access off the future Country Club Drive extension and emergency access toward the south end of the property. Although not yet triggered for implementation, the four-lane Country Club Drive extension will provide a
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buffer between the site and existing Serrano residences to the northeast. The development will be designed in a Mediterranean style with earth-toned colors and some stone materials. “Right now we don’t have specific tenants for the north side,” revealed Tiffany Wilson of RSC Engineering, representative of the EDH 52 owner and applicant. “Costco is our tenant for the south side.” Since expressing interest in the area back in 2018, the Costco proposal has changed ■
See COSTCO, page A3
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