The fairgrounds in Calaveras County are hosting a fire camp and emergency shelter.
Two current wildfires in Northern California, the Valley Fire in Lake County and the Butte Fire in Calaveras County, have left hundreds of people homeless, hundreds of head of livestock and other animals stranded, and thousands of fire fighters in need of a home base. Such challenges often bring out a range of community resources, including temporary staging areas and shelters at fairgrounds, and the support of animal needs through the California Animal Response Emergency System (CARES), a coalition of volunteers and local and state agencies, including CDFA, that provides essential support during disasters.
County fairgrounds at Calistoga and Ukiah are serving as evacuation centers for families in the path of the Valley Fire, and the fairgrounds at Lakeport are the base camp for fire crews. In the foothills, the fairgrounds at Angels Camp in Calaveras County are serving fire fighters on the Butte incident as well as evacuees and livestock, and the fairgrounds at Plymouth, in Amador County, are also housing livestock.
Multiple CARES collaborators are fully engaged at both incidents and include CDFA emergency coordinators, supply procurement specialists, and Brand Inspection support for helping to identify ranchers and cattle owners in the area. Additionally, local private veterinarians, county animal control and sheriff’s officers, the California Veterinary Medical Association, the U.C Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, the California Veterinary Medical Reserve Corps and several other volunteer groups have all been activated through the CARES incident management system.
Crises like these create a great deal of tragedy and chaos. The efforts of CDFA and its partners in the fairs and animal-care sectors, working in close coordination with the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, help deliver all the support and organization that can be provided at such a difficult time.