Some SQF Complex Fire evacuees return to homes, while others wait to survey damage

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Some Tulare County mountain communities will never look the same after the SQF Complex fire made its ferocious charge through the small towns last month.

The small towns of Alpine Village, Sequoia Crest, and Cedar Slope were hit hardest by the most destructive fire in Tulare County history, the SQF Complex.

While many other evacuation orders have been lifted, there are still many safety hazards in these areas and that is why residents still haven't been able to return.

On Monday, Action News came across downed wires and debris along Alpine Drive. Nearby, trees also threaten to fall.

The dozens of destroyed homes are dangerous too, according to the red pieces of paper posted at the properties.

You won't find any of those signs in Camp Nelson, which was spared by the fire.

Residents like Nancy Law were able to return to their homes on Friday. She's lived there for 30 years.

"To have your home, and then to think that you're not going to have a home, and then to come home to it-it's very emotional," Law said.

Nancy was evacuated for more than three weeks, staying with a friend in Springville.

Her home was saved, but she knows it could have easily gone the other way.

"We're very thankful," Law said. "We're very thankful because not everybody was so lucky."

A local assistance center will open at the Camp Nelson Fire Station on Tuesday.

Open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays, the center can offer services and information to anyone who has been affected by the SQF Complex.

There's also a site at the Porterville Government Plaza that's open seven days a week.

Click here (https://tularecounty.ca.gov/recovers/index.cfm/local-assistance-centers/) for more information.