AMADOR COUNTY, Calif. — As the Electra Fire rages on in Amador County, we’re hearing from one woman who was trapped with her family in a PG&E powerhouse for several hours Monday night.
The fire, which is burning southeast of Jackson, is moving in a southerly direction after sparking between Electra Road and Highway 49.
The blaze forced people around the recreation area to shelter in a PG&E powerhouse with workers. Steep terrain made it difficult for rescuers to access the powerhouse, but CalFire said everyone inside was evacuated around 10:30 p.m. Monday.
Milka Mikula and her family were among the 60-80 people who were evacuated. ABC10’s Caroline Morales spoke with Mikula via Zoom to hear more about her experience.
Q: Could you start off by telling us a little bit about your experience? The timeline of it?
A: We were just down there with my family, and I was down there with my husband, our 5-year-old and our 1-year-old. We just wanted to go down and have a good time at the river. We were hanging out and my husband was in the river and he noticed. He’s like, “I kind of think there's some barbecue or smoke or fire nearby,” because he smelled it and then we looked over and there was smoke, but we couldn't tell where it was coming from. We weren't exactly sure and then it started getting more and more, and we could tell that it had been on Electra Road with how close it was.
Q: That probably was a very scary experience
A: We were a little scared. Everybody around us was kind of freaking out. There wasn’t very many locals there yesterday, but nobody really knows the area so a lot of people were freaking out, running to their cars, trying to get out. We noticed they had been sending people to the opposite end, which the opposite end is a dead end… it’s where the powerhouse is, there’s no way out. So people were asking, ‘Where do we go?’ and I’m like, ‘The only way you can get out is the only way you came in.’ They decided we all had to go into the powerhouse. We decided to pack up and we got in our car and the sheriff came down and told us we need to get in our car to go to the powerhouse. We did and once we got there, they had changed their mind like four or five times whether we were going to get out or stay in. They didn’t know what was going on, then they told us they were going to let one vehicle go out at a time, which would have taken hours. Then they decided everybody should just stay and go into the powerhouse. The fire was right at the parking lot where we were.
Q: Can you talk us through your thoughts and emotions as you were seeing the fire come towards you and then once you got to the powerhouse?
A: I didn’t start freaking out really until we were actually going into the powerhouse, when the fire was at the parking lot and the fire truck was right there and my vehicle was right next to the fire truck and the fire was right there… that’s when I started freaking out. That's when I said, ‘Okay, well, we now we need to go inside, take the babies inside.’
I went in and I waited and I was waiting for my husband – he decided to go back out to get a few more things – and he ended up actually moving our vehicle down to the powerhouse with a couple other guys. There were a few people who moved their vehicles down there as well. I had all my stuff in there, I have all my merchandise for my business, so I didn’t want to lose anything in my vehicle. He moved it all down to the powerhouse.
I was very happy when he came back in the building because I was pretty nervous. I was waiting there with my kids for quite some time. It was about 10-15 minutes and I could see the fire. I was just like, ‘I hope my husband gets back in here quickly.’
Q: We’ve talked to a few people about their experience at the powerhouse. We heard there was no food or anything in the powerhouse.
A: There was no food. They gave us warm waters that they had left over in the powerhouse. They came by with a couple Gatorades later on, but they had no food. There was a very nice Hispanic family that came over, they were cooking food for a bunch of people. They offered for us to go up there and have some food, but by that time it was time for us to get going.
WILDFIRE PREPS
According to Cal Fire, the 2021 fire season started earlier than previous years, but also ended earlier, as well. January 2021 saw just under 1,200 acres burned from nearly 300 wildfires. Fires picked up in the summer when the Dixie Fire burned in five Northern California counties — Butte, Plumas, Shasta, Lassen and Tehama. The Dixie Fire started on July 13 and wasn't contained until Oct. 25, burning nearly 1 million acres. It has since become the second-largest wildfire in state history and the largest non-complex fire.
Overall, 2.5 million acres were burned in 2021 from 8,835 wildfires. Over 3,600 structures were destroyed and 3 people were killed.
If you live in a wildfire-prone zone, Cal Fire suggests creating a defensible space around your home. Defensible space is an area around a building in which vegetation and other debris are completely cleared. At least 100 feet is recommended.
The Department of Homeland Security suggests assembling an emergency kit that has important documents, N95 respirator masks, and supplies to grab with you if you’re forced to leave at a moment’s notice. The agency also suggests signing up for local warning system notifications and knowing your community’s evacuation plans best to prepare yourself and your family in cases of wildfires.
Some counties use Nixle alerts to update residents on severe weather, wildfires, and other news. To sign up, visit www.nixle.com or text your zip code to 888777 to start receiving alerts.
PG&E customers can also subscribe to alerts via text, email, or phone call. If you're a PG&E customer, visit the Profile & Alerts section of your account to register.
What questions do you have about the latest wildfires? If you're impacted by the wildfires, what would you like to know? Text the ABC10 team at (916) 321-3310.