Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an emergency proclamation Monday to help Calaveras and Tuolumne counties recover from the TCU Lightning Complex Fires that broke out Sept. 2, burned more than 13,000 acres, and destroyed or damaged more than 100 structures and homes, including 50 homes in historic Chinese Camp.
The proclamation authorizes the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, also known as Cal OES, to provide assistance to Calaveras and Tuolumne counties under the California Disaster Assistance Act, among other provisions, Newsom’s staff said in a statement.
Cal Fire said the TCU Lightning Complex Fires burned 13,869 acres in Calaveras, Tuolumne, San Joaquin, and Stanislaus counties. It took until Sept. 13 to contain and fully extinguish them. The most destructive of the complex fires was the 6-5 Fire that burned in and near Chinese Camp.
Since the 6-5 Fire that destroyed much of Chinese Camp on Sept. 2, residents of as many as 50 homes have been displaced and many of them are now living in tents, sleeping on couches at other people’s homes, or staying at motels and hotels.
Last week, more than two weeks since the 6-5 Fire wiped out most of the center of their town, multiple displaced residents told The Union Democrat they could use help cleaning up and clearing all the toxic postfire debris off their burned-out properties, as well as housing assistance so they can continue to live in Chinese Camp.
The Tuolumne County Board of Supervisors ratified a declaration of a Local State of Emergency due to the TCU September Lightning Complex Fires, as required by the California Emergency Services Act, on Sept. 9.
Contact Guy McCarthy at gmccarthy@uniondemocrat.net or (209) 770-0405. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @GuyMcCarthy.