Fire agencies have been working around the clock to line the MP97 Fire and get containment on the flames. Overnight, ground crews worked to put out spot fires across I-5, sparked by embers that blew across the highway.
“As weather permits, we’re working hard on the size of the fire, getting in there really tight, and fighting it hard where we can,” Al De Vos, Public Information Officer, said. “Conditions of the fuels, the terrain, and the ability just to be to get into some of that steep country is limited so they’re relying a lot on-air support.”
Evacuation notices have stayed the same pretty much all weekend and residents say they don’t want to leave their homes until they have to.
“It’s really exhausting to see the smoke and fires,” Caitlin Dooley, Azalea resident, said.
“It’s been pretty scary, we’re holding out until we have to go,” Richard Sayres, Azalea resident, said.
Sayres said he’s been preparing for the worst should anything come his way.
“We’re watering the fields, we got big water cannons going on, just trying to do our part to get it wet, to keep anything from moving through here,” Sayres said.
He and his family are packed up and ready to go should the county issue a level three “GO” evacuation.
“‘We’ve got clothes, family pictures, things that are important to the family,” Sayres said.
The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office is issuing Level 2 “Set” evacuations for all residents on the west side of the freeway between mileposts 88 & 83. This level means there’s a significant danger to the area and it’s encouraged you to leave if you live there.
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