Chester after Dixie: Residents return to the new not-normal
By Gregg Scott
Plumas News staff writer
It doesn’t take long for Chester/Lake Almanor evacuees to realize that things are not back to normal yet. The streets are mostly empty, many businesses are either closed or have reduced hours. The Post Office is closed and much of the basin landscape is now a blackened mass of dead trees.
“Mixed emotions” is probably an understatement when it comes to describing how people are feeling as they return to see how the fire has affected their homes and community. There are homes and businesses that are now just a pile of rubble and ashes whereas there are others that were left virtually unscathed. One resident alluded to ‘A Biblical Parting of the Red Sea’ in regard to the way the fire split around the town of Chester. Examples include the Chester Cemetery where the office and all the out-buildings were destroyed, but the cemetery itself was spared. Or the several home sites west of the St. Bernard Lodge on Hwy 36 that were completely consumed by the flames, but many were spared.
Some have found their properties safe and others are experiencing total devastation, but as this story is being written, area residents and groups as well as “out-of-the-area” folks are already banding together to help those affected by the fire. Rural communities, like the ones in Plumas County, have a unique talent for uniting to bring our special quality of life back to normal.
Holiday Market, Dollar General and the Corner Store are open. All of Chester’s mail has been going to the Red Bluff Post Office, but Chester Postmaster Danielle Alexander anticipates that Chester PO will be operational by Tuesday, Aug. 24, with regular 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. hours. Several local restaurants are planning to open as soon as they can get food deliveries. Both Ace Hardware and Ayoobs Hardware are open for hardware needs.
The effects of the Dixie Fire will surely be with us for many years to come. Rebuilding takes time and regrowing our beautiful forests that some many come to enjoy will take centuries, but that is what we need to do. Just because the community’s tail feathers got singed simply offers another challenge for the folks to conquer.
A PG&E crew gets set to install a new power pole next to the remains of the Chester Cemetery office. The Dixie Fire completely surrounded the cemetery and destroyed all the out-buildings, yet left the cemetery grounds and trees virtually untouched. Photo by Gregg Scott
Most of Timberline Materials buildings and equipment were not spared by the fast-moving fire. The good news — most of the products on site are not flammable. Always give thanks for small favors. Photo by Gregg Scott
This is a common sight as you travel Hwy 36 west of Chester. Logging crews are rapidly cutting hazard trees and salvaging timber from thousands of acres blackened as the Dixie Fire moved through the area. Activity is some intense that traffic control is required for the safety of travelers. Photo by Gregg Scott
Homes along Willhoite Road and Purdy Road in the ‘Forest’ area of Chester will require some special cleanup after they were sprayed with fire retardant in preparation of the oncoming fire. Fortunately the fire was stopped at Airport Road about a block away. Photo by Gregg Scott
