Wind Complex Fire Debris Removal

In October 2017, a fierce firestorm erupted across Northern California’s Yuba, Nevada, and Butte counties, later dubbed the Wind Complex Fire. Fueled by powerful winds and exacerbated by dry conditions, the fire quickly engulfed vast areas, triggering urgent evacuation orders and straining firefighting resources. Firefighters bravely battled the blaze around the clock, focusing on disaster response efforts to contain its relentless spread and protect homes, businesses, and natural landscapes.
 
The fire’s rampage through the region left a trail of devastation in its wake. Homes and businesses were reduced to ashes, and cherished natural habitats were ravaged. The economic toll was significant, disrupting lives and livelihoods alike. Despite the valiant efforts of emergency responders, the fire’s impact on communities underscored the enduring vulnerability to wildfires in the area, highlighting the critical need for wildfire recovery efforts.

The California Department of Emergency Services (CalOES) assigned CalRecycle to manage and coordinate a disaster response and post-disaster wildfire debris removal project. This project aimed to clear disaster debris and fire-damaged materials from homes destroyed by the Wind Complex Fires in Butte, Nevada, and Yuba Counties.

Forgen, as the prime contractor on this wildfire recovery project, provided 12 crews and collaborated with Teichert Construction and Steelhead Construction to provide the remaining 13 crews. Each team comprised two operators and two laborers, a crew truck, an excavator, a skid steer, and a water wagon.

Crews worked in Level C personal protective equipment (PPE) and completed an average of one lot per two shifts. Every employee had to have OSHA 40-hour HAZWOPER training, had received a physical exam, and was fit tested for a respirator before coming to the site for protection from asbestos-contaminated debris.

Forgen also partnered with qualified subcontractors from large and small local businesses and coordinated with them on a nightly basis, dispatching 125-150 trucks to new addresses every morning. Forgen successfully removed a total of 500 cubic yards of asbestos, 2,000 tons of metal, 30,000 tons of disaster debris, 7,300 tons of concrete, and 6,400 tons of contaminated soil from 254 properties in 27 working days and transported all metal and concrete to recycling facilities, while all contaminated soil was sent to appropriate landfills.

Completing this intensive wildfire cleanup and disaster recovery effort expedited the recovery process for affected residents and significantly reduced environmental and health risks associated with disaster debris. CalRecycle commended Forgen for its exemplary performance, highlighting the project’s efficiency and positive impact on community resilience and wildfire recovery efforts. The swift and thorough disaster response, wildfire cleanup, and debris removal by Forgen and its partners played a crucial role in restoring safety, health, and normalcy to the communities ravaged by the Wind Complex Fire.