WHITE HALL, Calif. — After nearly four weeks away from home as Caldor Fire evacuees, families have begun returning to forest towns along Highway 50 in a surreal homecoming.
“This is my sanctuary. This is where we moved for my son,” said White Hall resident Allison Welch, who arrived Sunday after 27 days on the road with her son, Dylan, and her husband.
They were one of several families who could be seen returning to White Hall and Kyburz homes over the weekend. For the last few weeks, the Welches decided to ride out the evacuation order in a trailer parked at Cal Expo.
“We have different challenges, having an autistic son is a challenge in itself, and then to be displaced, his routine was off,” Welch said.
Just beyond the road blocks still in place at Kyburz, dozens of homes in the Phillips tract were cratered by the Caldor Fire. Although in many cases, chimneys are all that remain. Homeowners haven’t been allowed back even if it’s just to take stock of what they lost.
“Trust me, we’re trying to get it open as soon as possible,” said Cal Fire public information officer Fred Woods.
Woods said Cal Fire understands homeowners’ frustration, but there is work to do connecting utilities and removing hazardous trees from the areas near the highway.
“Until that decision is made that we can allow people to return safely, it’s going to stay evacuated,” Woods said.
For the Welches, even with most of the comforts of home restored, like water and electricity, Sunday remained a surreal homecoming.
“It’s just surreal, really,” Welch said. “I mean, once I start doing laundry and cleaning, I’ll be like, ‘Oh, this is normal.’”
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