Photo by District 8 
By David Matza
District 8 Government and Legislative Affairs Liaison
Over the past two months, Caltrans District 8 has been involved in combatting multiple wildfires that include the Valley Fire in the San Bernardino Mountains, the Cranston Fire near Idyllwild, and the Holy Fire in the Lake Elsinore area. During these fires, District 8 staff worked around the clock with our partners, including the California Highway Patrol, the U.S. Forest Service, Cal Fire, Riverside and San Bernardino County emergency response units, and sheriff and fire departments. Caltrans played a pivotal role in assisting with evacuating and repopulating areas that were under evacuation orders, while also repairing damage caused by each of the fires.
As of press time, the Valley Fire burned 1,350 acres and was 82 percent contained. In addition to the fire, precipitation came to the San Bernardino Mountains, raining on previously burned and now barren land. This caused a major mudslide on State Route 38, resulting in nearly ten feet of debris. Caltrans Maintenance crews were able to clear the debris within one day. Fortunately, no guardrail damage occurred during the fire. Due to these efforts, Caltrans received praise from the local Forest Falls community and State Senator Mike Morrell who represents the Forest Falls area. Caltrans also helped guide residents to and from their homes during the fire and helped with the full repopulation efforts for the Forest Falls area when residents were notified that it was safe to return.
For the Cranston Fire, which burned 13,159 acres and is now contained, Caltrans played a pivotal role during and after the fire. Caltrans assisted with the closures of SR-74 and SR-243 and the evacuation efforts that took place during the fire event. Following the fire, under an emergency Director's Order, Caltrans began replacing damaged guardrail, culverts, sign replacement, and more. This work has been completed, but improvements to the area's road infrastructure will continue for years to come. District 8 Public Affairs is still participating in public meetings to spread awareness to the communities affected by the Cranston Fire, as debris flows and flooding can take place due to the conditions created by the fire.
The Holy Fire resulted in the evacuation of more than 20,000 people in the Lake Elsinore region. Caltrans played a crucial role in managing closures that occurred on Interstate 15 and SR-74 on the Ortega Highway region. Thanks to the efforts of Caltrans' partners, this fire was kept from spreading into heavily populated areas near Lake Elsinore, which would have been disastrous for the region.
Caltrans is proud to have worked with partner agencies to keep residents safe and to ensure that the portions of the state transportation network affected by the fires remained secure and that the parts that were damaged were repaired quickly and efficiently.