COPPEROPOLIS, Calif. — Communities in Calaveras County are showing some signs of relief after the Aero Fire forced some people to leave their homes.
In downtown Copperopolis, traffic is starting to flow like normal again only six hours after people were allowed to return.
While some are happy, others are still under evacuation orders and are wondering when they'll be able to go back.
Retired firefighter Joe Peery didn't leave his home when law enforcement first asked, but when the flames came close, it was close enough for him to get ready.
"Got garden hoses ready and everything you could use water on and stuff like that and, the wife, she starts packing," said Peery.
Ultimately, they never had to leave; his neighborhood was saved from the wind-whipped flames of the Aero Fire, which at one point threatened to burn it down.
"We hit it lucky. It did come roaring down through town and everything, but they got on it. Cal Fire... got on it really good and stopped it," he said.
Fire crews have been able to take a slight sigh of relief as they deal with mop-up instead of an out-of-control wildfire. The Calaveras County Sheriff's Office are more relaxed as well, no longer having to patrol a ghost town of an evacuation zone.
“We saturated the area, specifically the area that was evacuated with mutual aid resources. We received clear direction from our sheriff and undersheriff to treat looters with zero tolerance," said Lt. Greg Stark, spokesperson for the Calaveras County Sheriff's Office.
That proved true for two brothers out of Stockton, who were allegedly found in the evacuation zone Tuesday night with stolen mail from nearby homes and burglary tools.
"Somebody had snuck into our containment line. We believe they had nefarious intentions on their mind. They were taken directly to jail," said Lt. Stark.
As crews work to fully contain the fire and restore electricity, deputies said they won't be letting their guard down any time soon.
"We're still going to do saturation patrols because there are still some orders in effect," Stark said.
Deputies understand that asking people to leave their home is no small ask.
"We take that very seriously and the first thing we do when we ask you to leave, we start the process to get you back in. We want to get you back in safely and when its safe to do so," Stark said.
Many people are still getting back on their feet and counting their blessings. Their message toward visitors for now is to come back another time.
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