Frenchman Lake looks a lot different than it did one week ago. The Beckwourth Complex Fire headed towards the recreation area last Friday, forcing campers to evacuate. Some left tents, barbecue grills and chairs behind. Most of the campsites and restrooms appear to be unharmed but the trees and underbrush surrounding them are covered in ash.
"It's just home and it's our backyard, so seeing our backyard being burnt, it's really sad and the fact that we didn't get to see people go up there and enjoy and have the memories that they always make up there is really devastating for us," Natalie Goodwin, Goodwin's General Store said.
Goodwin's General Store is in Chilcoot, California. The small town is the last stop as people turn north to Frenchman Lake. Those outdoor visitors will not be heading there anytime soon though. The campground is closed at least until August 1. It also means many long-time locals will not get to enjoy the area as much.
"They've been fishing up there for over 40 years, they've been hunting duck and out livelihood is pretty much toast," Matthew Goodwin, Manager of Goodwin's General Store said.
"We just want to minimize the risk of people being exposed to things like smoke, falling trees," Kimberly Kaschalk, Public Information Officer for the Beckwourth Complex Fire said. "It's safety. We're not trying to ruin anyone's vacation. We're not trying to spoil anyone's fun. We want to keep you safe. We want to keep our fire personnel safe."
Along with the campground, access to a large part of Plumas National Forest is closed. That means many residents of the area cannot return. Residents can head to facebook@pcso.net to find out if their property was affected by the fire.
The fire is causing problems for nearby residents and businesses. Without the traffic to Frenchman Lake, there are fewer customers coming into Goodwin's General Store.
"We're pretty much done for the season," Matthew Goodwin said. "I'm going to have to cut hours, lay people off. We're back to winter hours, just about."
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Normally, the store serves as a one-stop shop for people heading to the lake who want to pick up a few last-minute supplies. It has anything from fishing gear to water equipment.
"We still have plenty of awesome things to offer," Matthew Goodwin said. "We probably have the only floaties in the valley, right now, still for sale and we have plenty of good meat, plenty of good firewood."
Electricity is another hurdle for the store. Power has been unpredictable for the past few days, so the general store is using backup electricity.
"We've just been running on our generator but we're here for the community so we try to be open even if we do have generators," Natalie Goodwin said.
The fire is also having an impact on wildlife living in the forest. Officials say the fire is disruptive but that most animals sense the danger early and find a safe place to go.
"A lot of the deer like to lick the ash because it has minerals that their bodies can use," Kaschalk said. "The trees and stuff will be damaged but this will grow back. It actually will improve the health of the forest."
Kaschalk says there are many destroyed buildings in the fire but they have not confirmed an exact number yet.
Some of the destroyed homes are in Doyle, California. The Goodwin's are delivering food and supplies to residents who lost their homes, this Friday. If you would like to donate, you can call the store at (530) 993-4683Â or visit its Facebook page here.
