Sierra County Board of Supervisors,
As you may know, there was yet another fire a couple of days ago at the Sierra City Transfer Station. This is not the first time the burn pile has been left smoldering. I believe it is the third or fourth time the dump has caught fire in as many years.
While hiking on the Buttes recently, I've watched the large slash pile putting up smoke for a couple of weeks now. With the dry conditions, no snow on the ground, low humidity, and the winds we've had, another fire at the transfer site was bound to occur.
I mistakenly believed that the County was monitoring the burn pile. According to my maps, it appears that the transfer site is on USFS property. I will in the future, notify the USFS should I see a unattended fire at the dump.
We can and should do better than to leave a huge pile of dry wood smolder for days without someone being responsible. I fear that the next fire may spread further than this one did. Thankfully the volunteer firefighters were quick to respond, the USFS arrived to help, and the fire was kept to a minimum despite the heavy winds.
Our volunteer firefighters (bless them) are put in danger every time they respond to a fire. There is too much at stake to take this matter lightly. I would request that procedures be changed and someone needs to be held responsible for this ongoing issue in the future.
Nora Prince
Sierra City
February 3, 2025
Supervisor Lila Heuer,
Via email
Re: Board Meeting of 2/4/2025. Item 10a
Dear Lila;
We respectfully recommend, given the urgency and potential harm from future fires, that the Board direct County staff meet as soon as possible with representatives of the Forest Service, Downieville Fire, Sierra City Fire and the Sierra City Fire Commission.
These individuals should be charged with creating a consensus plan of quickly implementable options for better preventing another fire at the Dump. Further, the Board should appoint 2 community members to serve as equal participants. Let this group identify and recommend options for mitigating this dangerous practice of lighting the slash pile and leaving it unattended. More than once, this practice resulted in fires that were viable threats to the community.
The Board should expect that the above participants will be motivated and will present cost effective and feasible options at the next Board meeting.
The latest burn pile was smoldering for more than a week prior to it reigniting from the high winds. As you well know, had the winds come from a different direction this event could have been tragic.
If we can assist or support this important endeavor in any way, please do not hesitate to contact us.
//
Cindy Elsmore
[email protected]
Dee Wallace
[email protected]
Derek Beverly
[email protected]
Don Hemphill
[email protected]
Gerry Gates
[email protected]
Gunnar Elsmore
[email protected]
Kitty Esposto
[email protected]
Laura Todd
[email protected]
Lisa Ostrom
[email protected]
Matthew Farris
[email protected]
Mike Ostrom
[email protected]
Nancy Becker
[email protected]
Nora Prince
[email protected]
Ray Xuereb
[email protected]
Rich Esposto
[email protected]
Susan Hopkins
[email protected]
cc: Members, Board of Supervisors
Heather Foster, Clerk of the Board
Yuba River District Ranger Thomas Parrack
Chief, Downieville Fire
Chair, Sierra City Fire Commission
Chief, Sierra City Fire
THE ESCAPED DEBRIS BURN at the Sierra City Transfer Station on January 22nd brought about discussion during the Sierra County Board of Supervisors’ meeting held Tuesday, February 4th. Public Works Director Bryan Davey explained the fire was initially started on December 12th and their standard of practice is to push the embers into a pile to let them smolder to further reduce the debris. As the result of a prolonged dry period and excessive winds, embers were blown into the duff that started the fire which grew to two acres. He stated his department is ending the practice of pushing embers into a pile and will now spread them out to a large area and fully extinguish. This will create additional charcoal and increase the amount of burning needed. Davy acknowledged there was a lot of public disdain and took responsibility for it, adding this was a mistake. He said they should have pushed the pile out and extinguished it due to the long dry period. He added the department is looking into other options like a curtain burner and grinders which are very expensive and would likely create an increase of fees. Davey stated they have this issue at all five transfer sites. Three are on public land and two are on private land.
Supervisor Lila Heuer liked the idea of paying more attention to the transfer site burning and asked about hauling it out. Davey said they could haul it, but it is an expensive endeavor that would be about $5-$6 per yard. He stated over the last 15 years, the volumes of green waste have significantly increased and become difficult to manage, adding it’s a countywide issue.
Supervisor Terry LeBlanc thought there was a curtain burner at the mill they might be able to use. Supervisor Paul Roen stated the curtain burner belonged to CTL and has been removed. He felt burning the piles was by far the best way to get rid of the debris, adding they just need to pay more attention to it. He said SPI would only take a portion of the debris, but not all of it. Fire Chief Scott Hall for Sierra City Fire Department said he’s lived in the county for about 10-15 years and has been involved with at least five fires in the area. He stated the fire department isn’t aware when they are burning at the transfer sites and felt they should be notified so they can go and inspect it and be the final say when they burn. He stated this affects a lot of people, adding they were really lucky with this last fire. Division Chief for Yuba Ranger District, Dave Paulson said his district has a curtain burner and felt there may be a way to enter into an agreement with the County since they already have an MOU (memorandum of understanding). He has been with the district for five years and has gone to four transfer site fires. He felt they needed to have more diligence and attention to it and some form of accountability like a patrol log with notifications to the fire department and Forest Service. Paulson sympathized and stated getting material out of the woods is extremely expensive and difficult. He encouraged them to look for grants and bring the issue to the Fire Safe Council.
Board Chair Lee Adams gave sincere appreciation to local fire agencies and Forest Service for their efforts in putting the fire out. He stated this should be a wake-up call that it can’t be business as usual. Supervisor Sharon Dryden wanted to look at options but didn’t want to see an increase in fees to users, because they don’t want to discourage homeowners from bringing their green waste. The Road and Solid Waste Committee will meet with other agencies including Fire Safe, Forest Service and fire departments to further vet the issue.
As you may know, there was yet another fire a couple of days ago at the Sierra City Transfer Station. This is not the first time the burn pile has been left smoldering. I believe it is the third or fourth time the dump has caught fire in as many years.
While hiking on the Buttes recently, I've watched the large slash pile putting up smoke for a couple of weeks now. With the dry conditions, no snow on the ground, low humidity, and the winds we've had, another fire at the transfer site was bound to occur.
I mistakenly believed that the County was monitoring the burn pile. According to my maps, it appears that the transfer site is on USFS property. I will in the future, notify the USFS should I see a unattended fire at the dump.
We can and should do better than to leave a huge pile of dry wood smolder for days without someone being responsible. I fear that the next fire may spread further than this one did. Thankfully the volunteer firefighters were quick to respond, the USFS arrived to help, and the fire was kept to a minimum despite the heavy winds.
Our volunteer firefighters (bless them) are put in danger every time they respond to a fire. There is too much at stake to take this matter lightly. I would request that procedures be changed and someone needs to be held responsible for this ongoing issue in the future.
Nora Prince
Sierra City
February 3, 2025
Supervisor Lila Heuer,
Via email
Re: Board Meeting of 2/4/2025. Item 10a
Dear Lila;
We respectfully recommend, given the urgency and potential harm from future fires, that the Board direct County staff meet as soon as possible with representatives of the Forest Service, Downieville Fire, Sierra City Fire and the Sierra City Fire Commission.
These individuals should be charged with creating a consensus plan of quickly implementable options for better preventing another fire at the Dump. Further, the Board should appoint 2 community members to serve as equal participants. Let this group identify and recommend options for mitigating this dangerous practice of lighting the slash pile and leaving it unattended. More than once, this practice resulted in fires that were viable threats to the community.
The Board should expect that the above participants will be motivated and will present cost effective and feasible options at the next Board meeting.
The latest burn pile was smoldering for more than a week prior to it reigniting from the high winds. As you well know, had the winds come from a different direction this event could have been tragic.
If we can assist or support this important endeavor in any way, please do not hesitate to contact us.
//
Cindy Elsmore
[email protected]
Dee Wallace
[email protected]
Derek Beverly
[email protected]
Don Hemphill
[email protected]
Gerry Gates
[email protected]
Gunnar Elsmore
[email protected]
Kitty Esposto
[email protected]
Laura Todd
[email protected]
Lisa Ostrom
[email protected]
Matthew Farris
[email protected]
Mike Ostrom
[email protected]
Nancy Becker
[email protected]
Nora Prince
[email protected]
Ray Xuereb
[email protected]
Rich Esposto
[email protected]
Susan Hopkins
[email protected]
cc: Members, Board of Supervisors
Heather Foster, Clerk of the Board
Yuba River District Ranger Thomas Parrack
Chief, Downieville Fire
Chair, Sierra City Fire Commission
Chief, Sierra City Fire
THE ESCAPED DEBRIS BURN at the Sierra City Transfer Station on January 22nd brought about discussion during the Sierra County Board of Supervisors’ meeting held Tuesday, February 4th. Public Works Director Bryan Davey explained the fire was initially started on December 12th and their standard of practice is to push the embers into a pile to let them smolder to further reduce the debris. As the result of a prolonged dry period and excessive winds, embers were blown into the duff that started the fire which grew to two acres. He stated his department is ending the practice of pushing embers into a pile and will now spread them out to a large area and fully extinguish. This will create additional charcoal and increase the amount of burning needed. Davy acknowledged there was a lot of public disdain and took responsibility for it, adding this was a mistake. He said they should have pushed the pile out and extinguished it due to the long dry period. He added the department is looking into other options like a curtain burner and grinders which are very expensive and would likely create an increase of fees. Davey stated they have this issue at all five transfer sites. Three are on public land and two are on private land.
Supervisor Lila Heuer liked the idea of paying more attention to the transfer site burning and asked about hauling it out. Davey said they could haul it, but it is an expensive endeavor that would be about $5-$6 per yard. He stated over the last 15 years, the volumes of green waste have significantly increased and become difficult to manage, adding it’s a countywide issue.
Supervisor Terry LeBlanc thought there was a curtain burner at the mill they might be able to use. Supervisor Paul Roen stated the curtain burner belonged to CTL and has been removed. He felt burning the piles was by far the best way to get rid of the debris, adding they just need to pay more attention to it. He said SPI would only take a portion of the debris, but not all of it. Fire Chief Scott Hall for Sierra City Fire Department said he’s lived in the county for about 10-15 years and has been involved with at least five fires in the area. He stated the fire department isn’t aware when they are burning at the transfer sites and felt they should be notified so they can go and inspect it and be the final say when they burn. He stated this affects a lot of people, adding they were really lucky with this last fire. Division Chief for Yuba Ranger District, Dave Paulson said his district has a curtain burner and felt there may be a way to enter into an agreement with the County since they already have an MOU (memorandum of understanding). He has been with the district for five years and has gone to four transfer site fires. He felt they needed to have more diligence and attention to it and some form of accountability like a patrol log with notifications to the fire department and Forest Service. Paulson sympathized and stated getting material out of the woods is extremely expensive and difficult. He encouraged them to look for grants and bring the issue to the Fire Safe Council.
Board Chair Lee Adams gave sincere appreciation to local fire agencies and Forest Service for their efforts in putting the fire out. He stated this should be a wake-up call that it can’t be business as usual. Supervisor Sharon Dryden wanted to look at options but didn’t want to see an increase in fees to users, because they don’t want to discourage homeowners from bringing their green waste. The Road and Solid Waste Committee will meet with other agencies including Fire Safe, Forest Service and fire departments to further vet the issue.
