Trestle Forest Health Project Alternative #5 Map, September 13, 2017 Above is a map of the Trestle Forest Health Project (TFHP), a plan to treat 16,000 acres of land south and east of Grizzly Flats to improve forest health and fire resiliency. On September 11, 2017, after four years of proposals and environmental impact studies, … Continue reading The Caldor Fire and the Impact of Forest Management – Introduction: The Trestle Project and Grizzly Flats
Author: kjc
Part Four: Chaos as Caldor Fire Burns Grizzly Flats
Photo credit: Josh Edelson / AFP via Getty Images This article is the fourth and final installment in a series examining the initial response to the Caldor Fire August 14-17, 2021. In-depth reporting on these and the following days will continue in future posts and series. At 11:12 p.m. on August 16, 2021 the Caldor … Continue reading Part Four: Chaos as Caldor Fire Burns Grizzly Flats
Pioneer Fire Chief Matthews’ Former Department was Subject of Suspicious Fire Investigation
Photo Credit Mark Levy, Herald Review In Part One of my ongoing investigation into the early response to the Caldor Fire, we were introduced to Pioneer Fire District Chief, Mark Matthews. Chief Matthews was one of the first, if not the first, to arrive on scene to the then-small brush fire in the Middle Fork … Continue reading Pioneer Fire Chief Matthews’ Former Department was Subject of Suspicious Fire Investigation
Part Three: Records Reveal Delays Evacuating Grizzly Flats
This article is the third in a series examining the initial response to the Caldor Fire August 14-17, 2021. At 6:30 p.m. on August 16th, 2021 incident command released a public notice announcing the expansion of evacuation orders near the Caldor Fire to include the Dogtown Creek area. According to dispatch logs obtained through public … Continue reading Part Three: Records Reveal Delays Evacuating Grizzly Flats
Part Two: Dangerous Confusion as Caldor Fire Crosses Dogtown
This article is the second in a series examining the initial response to the Caldor Fire August 14-17, 2021. In the first installment of this series we left off with crews being sent home on orders from the Eldorado National Forest (ENF) chiefs, according to firefighters at the scene and confirmed by dispatch and call … Continue reading Part Two: Dangerous Confusion as Caldor Fire Crosses Dogtown
Part One: Caldor Fire Response Call Logs Reveal Delays, Confusion
This article is the first in a series examining the initial response to the Caldor Fire August 14-17, 2021. At 6:50 p.m. on August 14, 2021, Travis Shane Smith called 911 from an ATV trail on the north side of Dogtown Creek to report seeing fire to the south. Four minutes later the information Shane … Continue reading Part One: Caldor Fire Response Call Logs Reveal Delays, Confusion
Miner Mike: I Saw Smiths Driving Recklessly
A source close to the investigation into David and Travis Shane Smith has shared excerpts of interviews with a witness central to the case. The interviews were conducted by both local law enforcement and Special Agents from the USDA. The following is a summary of the shared excerpts, as well as information I gathered in … Continue reading Miner Mike: I Saw Smiths Driving Recklessly
DNA Found in Caldor Investigation
Documents obtained from a source close to the Caldor Fire investigation reveal DNA, which may belong to Travis Shane Smith, was found in the vicinity of what Special Agents are calling the "General Origin Area." The documents appear to be authored by the El Dorado County District Attorney's office as part of their motion to … Continue reading DNA Found in Caldor Investigation
The Smiths are Going Home
Today, attorneys for David and Travis Shane Smith argued the bail set for their clients was excessively high. After hearing from the defense and county prosecutors, the judge was swayed and reduced the bail. In the motion to reduce bail, the judge agreed the defense made a compelling case. The Smiths' attorneys placed emphasis on … Continue reading The Smiths are Going Home
Caldor Fire Witness: I Saw the Smiths That Day
With the bail hearing in the case against David and Travis Smith only hours away, a witness in the immediate vicinity of the Caldor Fire's ignition is speaking out. In a phone call, this witness told me they saw David and Travis Smith on Forest Road 9N45 near Dogtown Creek moments before seeing flames. For … Continue reading Caldor Fire Witness: I Saw the Smiths That Day
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