Sonoma County tells landowners that contractors must handle fire debris removal

In the days following the bursts of wind fueling the first round of destruction from the Kincade fire, landowners in the vineyard-rich Alexander Valley were busy working with crews to clear trees and debris as they prepared for the next pulse of wind to come.

Fred Young, scion of Robert Young, founder of the Robert Young Estate Winery, was clearing debris with a backhoe Oct. 25 while the Kincade fire still raged. His son, Robbie Young, and workers helped, ensuring the estate wouldn’t be susceptible to the fire when winds again picked up. A storage building on the Robert Young winery site had already been destroyed.

The same was true for Justin Miller, whose Garden Creek Winery lost worker housing in the first day of the fire, and who worked with a team to clear property to prepare for the worst of the inferno - ?Oct. 26-27, when winds helped the blaze nearly double in size.

With the county’s largest wildfire fully contained last week, county officials have instituted new rules prohibiting do-it-yourself debris cleanup, declaring that all such work for fire-damaged homes and properties must be done by licensed, qualified contractors.

The guidelines are similar to rules issued following the more destructive 2017 fires, and those rules drew plenty of ire from property owners eager to launch their rebuild without government interference. Most signed up for the government debris cleanup - an option that won’t be offered this time around because the disaster didn’t qualify for federal or state aid.

Still, county leaders say they’re prepared to closely coordinate with wildfire survivors as the Kincade fire cleanup begins.

“We definitely want to work with them, and make it easier for them,” Sonoma County Supervisor Chairman David Rabbitt said Sunday. “We just need to explain why we need to do it this way. It’s to their benefit. They’re going to be around that area; their kids are going to be around that area.”

The genesis for the guidelines came Nov. 1, when Sonoma County Health Officer Dr. Celeste Philip issued an order advising community members to refrain from entering the burn zone without personal protective equipment.

The Board of Supervisors followed that up Nov. 5 with an emergency ordinance requiring, among other things, authorization from the Department of Health Services, Environmental Health, before property owners can begin debris removal work.

And, according to information on the county’s website about the process, that work can be done only by licensed, qualified contractors.

Property owners will be required to submit an application including the contractor they plan to go with to the county for approval.

Scott Newman, whose family lost six houses on 500 acres along Highway 128 in Knights Valley, isn’t too concerned about the county’s guidelines, saying he’s fully immersed in recovery tasks.

“We intend to hire a reputable firm, and I trust they would be approved,” Newman said. “I understand (the county’s) need to be cautious.”

Rabbitt said the process isn’t intended to stifle property owners, who he said have been through hell. But those property owners’ choices could impact other residents, not to mention waterways, Rabbitt said.

“It’s to make sure (debris) is disposed of and to make sure it doesn’t become a greater community health hazard,” Rabbitt said. “It will rain within the month. It’s a massive area to deal with in terms of protection of any waterways.”

The county-funded hazardous waste cleanup - a precursor to the bulkier, debris removal process - will start this week. And, as of now, landowners don’t have any place for contractors to take their debris.

That’s because of a small but significant oversight in Gov. Gavin Newsom’s disaster declaration. In 2017, the declaration opened up exemptions allowing landfills to accept fire debris. That’s not the case this time, Rabbitt said, adding that the county will pursue a waiver quickly.

“We’re hoping to get it solved within a day or two,” Rabbitt said. “People have been traumatized. They just want to clean up and move on.”

Staff Writer Bill Swindell contributed to this story.