By Jane Cowan
ABC Premium News
MELBOURNE, Australia — The Royal Commission into Black Saturday is examining how people are evacuated from fire zones during wildfires in the United States.
The evidence is part of the inquiry’s final consideration of Victoria’s stay or go policy and alternatives.
Giving evidence via videolink from Sacramento, California’s deputy Fire Chief, Tim Streblow, has explained how that state evacuates people through both precautionary and mandatory orders.
The orders specify where people are to go and what route they are to take.
Mr Streblow said most people comply, but if they refuse, they are not ultimately forced out because that is too resource-intensive.
Instead, a note is taken of their whereabouts to check on them later.
In 2007, almost 500,000 people were evacuated in southern California.
On occasions authorities have gone door-to-door to evacuate people, a process that can take between four and six hours.
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