Butte Fire Debris Removal Nearly Complete

Six months after the Butte Fire burned more than 70,000 acres in Calaveras County, ash and debris removal efforts are almost finished.

The state says only 11 sites remain to be cleared of the 831 county properties registered for the cleanup.

Jon Kramer lost his home on Mokelumne Hill and says he's frustrated he's had to live in a trailer for so long.

"It took months before they came and started cleaning, he told Capital Public Radio this week. "I mean, here we are – it was just the ninth of this month, you know, six months, and we’ve been living in a fifth wheel."

But Calaveras County's Jason Boetzer says it's been hard to get trucks down tight roads in heavy rains.

"It’s been a big effort and a big task," Boetzer says. "But to me, it’s a success that we’re six months after the Butte Fire, and we’re complete with the debris removal operations."

The final 11 registered lots have been inaccessible due to weather and are expected to be cleaned up later this spring.