Santa Rosa crews race against time to fix fire-ravaged pipes during heavy rain

SANTA ROSA, Calif. (KGO) -- Crews are keeping busy in Santa Rosa, especially in the fire-damaged Fountaingrove area. Flooding and erosion are the two big concerns.

RELATED: Flood warning issued after North Bay fires melted storm drain pipes

It was all hands on deck on Shillingford Place. Every Transportation & Public Works crew assigned in Santa Rosa built a temporary bypass to divert water away from the burned homes on this street.

"Since we got a little bit of running here, what we want to do is we want to avoid any water going over the sidewalk and possibly going into the burned homes that could create erosion and what not and we're trying to avoid that, said Steve Cole, a supervisor with the Santa Rosa Dept. of Transportation & Public Works.

RELATED: North Bay residents warned of possible flooding during storm

Many of Fountaingrove's plastic storm pipes melted in the fires last month. Work has begun to replace them with a metal pipe but not in time for this latest storm, which is why crews are staffed 24/7 until the rain is over. They're going from block to block checking potential trouble spots.

"Water was starting to pond in a couple of areas but I was there to clear the drain and get everything flowing," said Dept. Of Transportation & Public Works employee Steve Brady,

They're also inspecting the hillsides and the areas along the creek. There's concern that the fire-ravaged terrain may be more prone to landslides. Residents have been warned to be extra vigilant and have a plan to leave just in case.

"The people in there and the houses, we don't want any of them to get evacuated or take off on the banks there so," said Dept. Of Transportation & Public Works employee Jesse Lopez.

Santa Rosa officials got a briefing from the National Weather Service and they were told the hours to keep their eyes on are between midnight and 3am.

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