The Creek Fire burned nearly 380,000 acres in the Sierra National Forest last September through December, making it the largest single fire in California's recorded history.

“We felt absolutely helpless,” said Sharlynn Childers, secretary/treasurer for the Highway 168 Fire Safe Council. “We were constantly thinking, ‘is there more we could have done?’”

Devastation like this is what the Highway 168 Fire Safe Council has always hoped to prevent. The nonprofit’s goal is to educate and assist residents in the mountain communities of Friant, Prather, Tollhouse, Auberry, Big Sandy, Meadow Lakes, Pine Ridge, Shaver Lake, Big Creek and Huntington Lake to create and maintain a more resilient landscape.

The council also provides a diverse set of stakeholders a means to speak with one voice around fire preparedness and safety.

“We know we live in areas that are prone to wildfire, so it is our duty to make sure that we are doing everything we can to educate and assist our community,” said Childers.

The fire safe council is comprised of five board members, four of whom lost their homes in the Creek Fire. Alongside community partners, they work to educate, identify and implement fuel reduction projects such as tree debris clearance, fire safe tips and home hardening.

Edison International recently provided a $10,000 grant to the Highway 168 Fire Safe Council to help support these efforts. The grant will assist the council with informing residents about CAL FIRE’s program to remove burned and damaged trees because of the Creek Fire. The council expects to assist upward of 300 homeowners.

Like the Highway 168 Fire Safe Council, Southern California Edison has a longstanding safety commitment to its customers and the communities it serves.

“SCE is so embedded in the Big Creek/Shaver Lake communities and these areas were devastated as a result of the fire,” said Brian Thoburn, SCE Government Relations advisor. "It’s so important for us to partner with organizations like the Highway 168 Fire Council, who play a key role in protecting the community.”

In SCE’s 2021 Wildfire Mitigation Plan, in addition to enhanced grid hardening, tree trimming and vegetation management help reduce the risk of wildfires in these communities. The utility inspects more than 1.1 million trees annually and more than 500,000 trees in high fire risk areas throughout its 50,000-square-mile service area. SCE works with organizations like the fire safe council to make sure this important work gets done.

According to Stephen Byrd, SCE senior manager of Forestry and Camp Edison, Shaver Lake was spared due to outstanding firefighting and aggressive forestry management practices by the company and its partners. The Highway 168 Fire Safe Council implemented a 400-foot shaded fuel break on the west side of Shaver Lake, which was influential in slowing the fire activity before it reached the community.

“SCE is a part of the Big Creek/Shaver Lake family, and when a family suffers a loss, we step up,” said Thoburn. “Our employees live there, our customers live there and we feel motivated to do what we can.”

In addition to the $10,000 grant to the Highway 168 Fire Safe Council, Edison International also provided $10,000 to the Shaver Lake Visitors Bureau and $5,000 to the Central Sierra Historical Society.