MIDDLETOWN (KRON) — We are now getting a better idea of just how big of a job the cleanup effort will be once residents are allowed to return home.
Middletown has become the center point for the restoration efforts, and on Thursday afternoon, hundreds of crews from PG&E, Caltrans and several other utilities scrambled to restores services in Lake, Napa and Sonoma counties.
Across the burn zone, there are miles of downed power lines and burned poles that need to be replaced.
In addition to the utility work that’s going on, there are hundreds of crews cutting down trees. The ground was dry to begin with, but after, the fire burned through big trees, which are abundant in Lake County.
The trees started to lean over the roadway, and crews are cutting them down for safety reasons.
And while the rain on Wednesday may have slowed the spread of the Valley Fire, it is clear from the thousands of smoking hot spots in the forest that the blaze is not yet fully under control. Fire crews from all across the state are still actively working in the area, even as the clean up effort gets under way.
And while the work begins on turning the lights back on, it could be some time before many of the devastated neighborhoods in places like Middletown and Cobb can be cleaned up and rebuilt. On Thursday afternoon, Chip Whitehead was wandering through what remains of his hometown.
He said he’s not sure if it can ever be made whole again.
“This was a gorgeous little subdivision,” Whitehead said. “Lot of my friends lived here and now it’s black. In my lifetime, I won’t see this again like this.”