HAPPY CAMP, Calif. – About 150 homes are burned from the Slater Fire in the Happy Camp community. Now people are coming together to help the aftermath of this devastation.
“We’re trying to save human lives,” said Sam Kubowitz, Deputy Sheriff for Siskiyou Co. Sheriff Office.
He spent the last week evacuating the town of Happy Camp from the flames of Slater Fire.
“A lot of people hated me by not letting them come up here, but I’ve had numerous about of people thanking me,” said Kubowitz.
However, evacuations were not a smooth process. Deputies had to investigate a shooting while trying to evacuate the town.
“We had to take 5 guys off from evacuating for these people who couldn’t figure it out that there was a natural disaster going on. And they decided to instead shoot at each other.”
Other than some people taken into custody, Dep. Kubowitz says there were also residents refusing to follow evacuation orders, but had a change of heart once they saw the wreckage.
“Some of them have snuck into see their home and now they are thanking us for not letting them go to their home,” said Kubowitz.
But as some Happy Camp residents return they look on how they will rebuild the future.
“It’s gonna be a long process, it’s gonna be a real long process,” said Kubowitz
While some Happy Camp residents can return home, many whose homes have burned are still unable to see what’s left. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
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