Evacuees Hear Update From Fire Officials But Wait Out Resolution
FORESTHILL (CBS13) - It's a tense time for those displaced by the wildfire in Placer County, some of whom have family history in the area dating back more than a century.
Jim McCollum couldn't fight back the tears Friday morning.
"I can't talk," he said. "Thankful for the firefighters."
He and his family have called the Yankee Jims area home for more than 100 years. He was one of about 120 people to attend a morning briefing from Cal Fire at the evacuation center in Foresthill.
Firefighters showed where the Robbers Fire has burned and their plan of attack in the third day of battling the blaze.
"I'm glad they're here and giving us something, but you know you get all kinds of conflicting stories about stuff up here, and nobody really knows," evacuee Mark Shuger said. "That fire can do whatever it wants. Once it starts warming up, the fire in the narrow canyons, they do want they want."
Mark's mother Barbara appreciates the constant line of communication.
"Thank God. I tell you if they didn't, I don't know what we would do," she said. "We would just be sitting here listening to rumors. There's a lot of rumors going around, 'I heard this, I heard that.' And it's not true, and it scares people to death."
Residents were glued to the update even though many haven't slept in days.
"I've had two hours sleep in the last three days," Mark said. "You just cope with it, fall apart later I guess. We've got the dogs, the cats, the family."
The waiting game continues as this fire is only 10 percent contained. All these people can do is wait it out and hope for a positive outcome.
