Local health officer declares emergency due to Beckwourth Complex

Lassen County Local Health Officer Dr. Kenneth Korver declared a local health emergency in Lassen County due to the Beckwourth Complex, that burned more than 30 homes in Doyle earlier this month.

County Administrative Officer Richard Egan noted Tuesday the declaration might allow constituents in the area to obtain help for the clean up process for the debris left behind.

During the Tuesday, July 27 Lassen County Board of Supervisors meeting, the board voted unanimously to ratify and confirm the declaration signed by the health officer on July 23.

“As of July 20, 2021, the Beckwourth Complex Fire had destroyed or damaged 62 single family residences in addition to damaging or destroying 37 other structures in Lassen County and as a result the wildfire has created an enormous amount of debris,” read the local health emergency declaration. “The debris resulting from the Beckwourth Complex Fire contains hazardous material in the ash of the burned structures, which has created a health emergency and poses a substantial present and future hazard to human health and safety and to the environment unless it is addressed and managed.”

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“There is an imminent and proximate threat of exposure to partially respirable- size particulate matter, possible infection or communicable disease exposure to biologic agents due to combustion of animal carcasses, possible accumulation of perishable foods and other organic materials that normally require refrigeration but have been left to spoil due to lack of electricity, and potential pollution of nearby surface water.”

Find the full declaration attached below.