SOUTH LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Officials have released damage inspection information that maps the destruction the Valley fire has left behind in south Lake County's communities.

The county of Lake, in conjunction with Cal Fire, made the information available at the Lake County Assistance Center Web site, www.lakecountylac.com , as of Saturday night.

Along with maps, the county released an initial list of parcels where Cal Fire damage inspection teams have confirmed structures were either destroyed or damaged.

The map above, created by Lake County News using the parcel data the county released, shows several hundred impacted properties in the communities of Cobb Mountain, Hidden Valley Lake, Middletown and the surrounding areas.

“One of our priorities is to release the information as soon as possible and to ensure support services are available for our community,” said County Administrative Officer Matt Perry. “Numerous county and state resources have been working around the clock since the start of the Valley fire to assist those impacted.”

The county said it will update the information as Cal Fire's damage inspection teams continue to survey the fire area and collect and confirm additional data.

“As we anticipate the number of homes destroyed to rise, we are making social and mental health services available for those affected,” said District 5 Supervisor Rob Brown.

More information about services may be found at www.lakecountylac.com or by calling toll-free at 800-325-9604.

SOUTH LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – After a week of being away from their homes due to the Valley fire, thousands of Hidden Valley Lake residents are to be allowed to return to their residences on Sunday afternoon.

Following a community meeting in Lower Lake on Saturday afternoon, Sheriff Brian Martin told Lake County News that the repopulation of Hidden Valley Lake was to begin at noon on Sunday.

Frustrated Hidden Valley Lake residents have been pushing to get back home, especially as reports have increased of looters making their way through communities evacuated due to the fire.

Shortly after the meeting ended, Cal Fire followed up with its own report, stating at that noon on Sunday the mandatory evacuation order would be lifted for the communities of Hidden Valley Lake, Jerusalem Grade, Grange Road and Butts Canyon Road.

Resident screening locations have been established at traffic control points, the agency said.

Access to Hidden Valley Lakes will be through the Hartmann Road entrance only and there will be
no Hidden Valley Lake access from Spruce Grove Road, according to Cal Fire.

To support the orderly return of residents to their homes, the following road closures have been revised, and go into effect at noon on Sunday:

– Hartmann Road at Highway 29 (screening location);
– Grange Road at Highway 29 (screening location);
– Butts Canyon Road at Highway 29 (screening location);
– Butts Canyon Rd at Snell Valley Rd (Screening location).

Cal Fire said Saturday evening that no additional evacuation orders were being lifted at that time.

Community members are urged to use special caution when reentering their homes, and to be aware that there may be hazards including dangerous chemicals and materials that are by-products of fires.

They're also asked to use caution when driving through the fire area, as thousands of firefighters are still at work.

Pacific Gas and Electric Co. said to avoid electrical wires that are down and to call them immediately at 1-800-743-5000 if downed lines are encountered. The company also asks residents not to connect generators without a licensed electrician.

Hundreds of trees and poles in the south county have been damaged and should be considered hazardous, officials said.

PG&E is ready to assist and will provide a mobile command vehicle, local customer service, and a reconnection staff to answer questions and provide resources. These services are located in the parking lot across the street from the Cowpoke Cafe, along Highway 29 in downtown Middletown, on Saturday and Sunday.

For additional information on returning home after a wildfire, go to: http://calfire.ca.gov/communications/downloads/fact_sheets/PGE_ReturningHomeAfterAfterAFire_print.pdf .

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Law enforcement officials on Saturday will once again offer escorts to some parts of the evacuated Valley fire area in order to allow residents to care for pets and livestock, and to retrieve prescriptions and critical medical supplies.

Lt. Steve Brooks said that beginning at 10:30 am. Saturday, law enforcement personnel will start to escort residents to their homes in order to take care of or pick up livestock and pets that were left during the initial evacuation. 

He said accommodations will be made for those individuals requiring assistance with retrieving their medications, light medical equipment and supplies. Escorts won't be offered for retrieving other personal possessions, such as clothing.

No escorts will be made into active fire areas, which Brooks said continue to include the communities of Loch Lomond, Cobb and Anderson Springs, where firefighting efforts are still ongoing.

Residents must be able to provide identification in order to be allowed into the evacuation area, Brooks said.

Brooks said the escorted visits will take place from 10:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.

He said the sheriff's office will work to get as many residents to their animals during this time frame.

The staging and screening area will be located at the parking lot to the old Outrageous Waters Park and Fun Center in Clearlake. Take Old Highway 53 to Airport Road, Brooks said.

Residents must have a photo identification listing a residence address in the evacuation area, be ready with all food or equipment necessary to accomplish their task, and must be able to complete the intended task in no more than 15 minutes, Brooks said.

He said residents requesting to enter properties south of Lower Lake, Hidden Valley Lake and Middletown will meet in the main parking lot of the Lower Lake High School.

SOUTH LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – As officials prepare to let more south county residents go home, Cal Fire said the Valley fire has reached the 50-percent containment.

The fire – which began Sept. 12 – had burned 74,500 acres as of Saturday night, according to Cal Fire.

Cal Fire Battalion Chief Mike Smith said at a Saturday press briefing that the 800 acres of growth on the fire Saturday was the result of firefighters conducting burning operations.

Authorities on Saturday allowed Middletown residents to return home, and announced that Hidden Valley Lake residents along with those living in the Jerusalem Grade, Grange Road and Butts Canyon Road areas would be able to go home beginning at noon on Sunday.

The number of threatened structures as of Saturday night was at 6,563. Cal Fire said that its ongoing damage assessments had resulted in the number of structures destroyed rising to 888. That number was not separated out into resources and other kinds of buildings.

Resources dedicated to bringing the incident under full containment include approximately 4,275 personnel, 472 engines, 94 hand crews, 75 water tenders, 57 dozers, 23 helicopters and two air tankers, Cal Fire said.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Last Saturday, a California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) officer based in Lake County risked his own life to save three lives in the Valley fire.

Warden Timothy Little was working mutual aid law enforcement safety patrols in Cobb in support of the effort to fight the Valley fire, officials said.

Little, other wildlife officers and numerous first responders were scrambling to evacuate residents trapped or needing assistance from their homes.

As the fire began to burn in Cobb, an emergency call went out that an elderly woman was trapped in her home on Pine Summit Road and needed immediate rescue.

Hearing radio calls that other units were unable to respond because of fire and debris in the roadway, Little headed toward the home.

Driving his four-wheel drive patrol vehicle through raging fire and burning road hazards, he found and entered the home, where he located an elderly woman trapped in the house with her 11-month-old granddaughter.

Little safely got both the woman and child out of their home, into his patrol truck and on the road to safety just minutes before fire destroyed the home. Both are now safe with family.

Shortly after this rescue, Little again put his own safety at risk to assist another elderly woman, this time needing transport due to serious medical needs.

When Little learned that no medical transport crews would be able to make it to the woman in time, he raced to Anderson Springs, 5 miles away, on Hot Springs Road in Middletown, to aid the woman.

After locating the house, he found the woman trapped on the second floor, unable to walk. Little carried her down a flight of stairs to a civilian vehicle and escorted them out of immediate danger before continuing to assist in other searches.

“The entire department is incredibly proud of every warden in the field who is supporting efforts to fight the raging wildfires in northern California,” said CDFW Chief of Patrol David Bess. “Tim Little’s bravery and courage are a credit to both CDFW and the state of California.”

Little became a warden in Lake County in January 2011 after graduating from the CDFW Academy, as Lake County News has reported.

CDFW has more than 20 wildlife officers working around the clock to provide mutual aid support to allied law enforcement agencies, fire crews and paramedics fighting both the Butte fire in Amador and Calaveras counties and the Valley fire in Lake County.

Update: Saturday changes in road closures have been updated to include Highway 29 at Tubbs Lane (residents only) and Highway 29 at Livermore Road (residents only).

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Authorities said Friday evening that some Lake County residents are about to be able to return home.

The repopulation effort will begin with Twin Lakes and Rancho Sendero on Friday evening and to expand to Middletown on Saturday.

So far, officials have not said when Cobb and Hidden Valley Lake residents may return home.

Roadblocks currently denying access to the communities of Twin Lakes and Rancho Sendero were to be moved at 6 p.m. Friday, according to a joint press release from the Lake County Office of Emergency Services, the Lake County Sheriff's Office and Cal Fire.

Removal of the roadblock will allow access to both communities immediately, officials said.

To support the orderly return of residents to their homes, the following road closures have been revised effect at 6 p.m.:

– Highway 29 at Murphy Springs Road;
– Spruce Grove Road at Cantwell Ranch Road.

The mandatory evacuation order for the community of Middletown will be lifted to residents only, effective at noon on Saturday.

To support the orderly return of residents to their homes tomorrow, the following road closures will be revised as of noon Saturday:

– Highway 29 at Tubbs Lane (residents only);
– Highway 29 at Livermore Road (residents only);
– Butts Canyon Road at Highway 29;
– Big Canyon Road at Knowles Lane;
– Spruce Grove Road South at Highway 29;
– Hartmann Road at Highway 29;
– Grange Road at Highway 29.

No additional evacuation orders are being lifted at this time.

The cancellation of additional evacuation orders are being evaluated based on a variety of factors, including potential fire behavior, and the reestablishment of crucial infrastructure.

For additional repopulation information, Lake County residents should contact the Lake County Information Line at 800-325-9604 or visit Lake County online at www.co.lake.ca.us .    

The public is reminded to stay vigilant on current fire conditions.

Please continue to adhere to road closures and any evacuation warnings or advisories. If you see electrical wires on the ground, stay clear and contact PG&E immediately.

Trees and poles with deep charring, particularly if still smoking, should be considered hazardous.  Please drive slowly as emergency personnel are in the area.

As you reenter your property and evaluate damage, be aware that hazardous conditions may exist, particularly if a residence or outbuilding has burned.

Hazards may include asbestos, heavy metals, by-products of plastic combustion and various other chemicals.

For additional information on returning home after a wildfire, go to http://calfire.ca.gov/communications/downloads/fact_sheets/PGE_ReturningHomeAfterAfterAFire_print.pdf .

LAKEPORT, Calif. – Officials from around Lake County as well as representatives from Cal Fire shared the latest developments on the Valley fire on Saturday afternoon.

The briefings are taking place at 1 p.m. daily. Saturday's event was held at the Courthouse Museum.

At the start of the video, Sheriff Brian Martin talked with Lake County News about the repopulation effort.

At that point, Middletown was being repopulated. Later in the day, officials announced that Hidden Valley Lake was to be repopulated beginning at noon on Sunday.

Martin said he expects it will be at least a week before Cobb residents can head home.

Martin also discussed the presence of the National Guard, which arrived on Friday evening and will be on scene to assist with patrol and with escorting people to their homes to check on pets and livestock.

Supervisor Rob Brown noted at the event that it had been one week – to the hour – that the fire had broken out and changed so many lives.

Cal Fire Battalion Chief Mike Smith said at that time that the fire had grown to 74,500 acres, an 800-acre growth over Friday.

“That increase in acreage is not based on fire spread,” Smith said, but rather crews on the ground, burning out vegetation between existing fire lines and lines constructed by firefighters. That is meant to make mop up easier and faster.

Martin warned of potential dangers in the fire area, and asked people to use precautions when returning home to their properties.

He said the death toll remained at three, with his agency still following up on missing persons' reports.

The sheriff also noted that arrests of looters were continuing on an almost nightly basis. He called such people “disgusting.” He also warned of the potential for people trying to scam fire victims and the community.

Lake County Health Officer Dr. Karen Tait warned about the potential dangers to health from going through debris on burned properties.

She said a disaster distress help line is available to provide crisis counseling for those impacted by the wildfire. The number is 1-800-985-5990.

Tait said a local assistance center has opened at the Middletown Senior Center and a shelter is in place at Twin Pine Casino.

Jodi Traversaro, administrator for the California Office of Emergency Services Coastal Region, said the top mission for officials is to make sure that those impacted by the fire can return home safely.

She said it was critical that people adhere to public safety messages and use caution when heading home.

Traversaro said Home Depot has donated 50,000 gloves and masks for people returning home after the fires, and noted there has been a tremendous outpouring of support in the form of in-kind donations.

Those donations are being sorted and will be made available to those impacted by the fire, she said.

The full video can be seen above.

Video by McKenzie Paine for Lake County News.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.

SOUTH LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Firefighters continue to steadily work around the 114-square-mile footprint of the Valley fire, building more perimeter lines and raising containment.

On Friday night, the fire remained at 73,700 acres, with containment up to 45 percent.

The number of threatened structures remained at 7,253 homes and 145 commercial buildings, with the number destroyed still reported as 585, Cal Fire said.

Several hundred more firefighters joined the fire suppression effort throughout the day, bringing the total number of personnel up to approximately 4,227, about 600 more than had been assigned to the Rocky fire during its height in early August.

Cal Fire said 442 engines, 94 hand crews, 72 water tenders, 68 dozers, 22 helicopters and two air tankers also made up the firefighting force on Friday.

Fire crews made good progress on Friday, constructing additional control lines, Cal Fire said.

There is concern that lower humidity overnight may allow for moderate fire activity, as the vegetation continues to dry out after the rain earlier this week.

Cal Fire Captain Lucas Spelman said firefighters are working throughout the fire area, building more containment line, plumbing the fire area with hoses, patrolling, putting out hot spots, and dealing with hot trees and ash piles.

He said the areas that remain the most active are the northwest and southwest portions of the fire, while the fire's center has the largest amount of containment.

The fire isn't burning now like it did before, said Spelman. “The fire is not spreading past our lines,” he said, adding that they've stopped the blaze's forward progression.

He explained that fire crews go in several hundred feet from the fire line, digging down to the dirt to make a buffer between the burned and unburned areas. They leave no brush behind in the process.

That hard work by hand crews ensures the fire can't creep, Spelman said.

When it's finally surrounded by that kind of hand line, the fire is considered fully contained, he said.

The changing weather is a concern, Spelman said. “Things are going to get hotter,” he said, noting that until the fire is contained, they can't let their guard down.

He said the firefighting crew is tired but everyone is still working at 100-percent.

“It's a very dynamic situation out there,” he said, with the situation being evaluated constantly.

Spelman said fire officials have not yet estimated when the fire might be fully contained.

Some evacuations were lifted on Friday evening, with residents of the Twin Lakes and Rancho Sendero areas near Lower Lake allowed to return home, and Middletown residents set to be able to begin going home on Saturday afternoon, officials said.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.

Lake County, Calif. -- The Lake County Sheriff's Office has arrested a Cobb man for a residential burglary during a State of Emergency.

A traffic enforcement stop conducted by a Lake County Sheriff’s Deputy has resulted in one arrest of 25 year old Jeremiah Patrick McGinnis of Cobb and the recovery of an unreported stolen vehicle, possession of burglary tools and entering a closed disaster area.

On September 17, 2015 at approximately 9:05 pm, a deputy conducted a traffic stop in the evacuation area of Loch Lomond on a 1994 Jeep Grand Cherokee.  

The deputy contacted the driver and solo occupant, who was identified as McGinnis.  McGinnis was wearing black pants and there was a black sweat shirt on the rear passenger seat.  

During the stop, the deputy determined the driver’s side of the SUV had just been painted white and black because the paint was still wet to the touch.  

The deputy further determined the SUV’s steering column ignition had been punched, and the deputy saw numerous hand tools and flashlights on the vehicle’s floorboards.  

McGinnis admitted painting the driver’s side of the Jeep, so it would resemble a law enforcement vehicle and he would be able to travel within the closed disaster area. 

A records check revealed the vehicle’s registered owners lived in the 10000 block of Seigler Canyon Road in Lower Lake.  

This area is under a mandatory evacuation order and is located approximately 3/4 mile from a manned road closure.  McGinnis admitted taking the SUV and other property from a residential garage located on Seigler Canyon Road.  

Deputies later checked the unoccupied premises of the vehicle’s registered owners and discovered evidence of a recent residential burglary.

While searching the vehicle, the deputy located a box of live ammunition, a flat screen television; a DVD player, an air rifle, an air pistol, and a drill, all of which he suspected were stolen.  

The deputy also located a box of spray paint, a crate filled with aerosol can solvents and a box of matches in the rear cargo area.

McGinnis is currently on summary searchable probation in Lake County for a drug offense conviction.  He was arrested for theft and unlawful driving or taking of a vehicle, burglary during a state of emergency, first degree burglary, entering a closed disaster area, possession of burglary tools and being a prohibited person in possession of ammunition.  

McGinnis was transported to the Lake County Hill Road Correctional Facility and booked.  His bail is currently set at $300,000.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Residents will need to prepare to deal with debris removal when returning to homes affected by the Valley fire.

As Cal Fire and the Lake County Sheriff’s Office begin to allow residents to return to their homes, officials said residents should prioritize the disposal of damaged goods.

Lake County has been working with a number of agencies to outline the disposal of the aftermath of the Valley fire.

Partners include the East Lake Landfill, South Lake Refuse, Cal Recycle, California Office of Emergency Services and California Department of Toxic Substances.

Most residents have been without electricity for more than a week. Disposal of food is the No. 1 priority.

For residents returning to homes, all three waste bins – trash, recycled and green/compost – can be used to dispose of all food products.

Trash bins will be picked up approximately three days after a neighborhood is repopulated.

Residents without bins should contact South Lake Refuse at 707-994-8613 to schedule replacement bins.

Twenty dumpsters will be strategically placed in the repopulated neighborhoods for the disposal of food items.

Dumpsters will be attended by volunteers to ensure that only appropriate items are disposed in these dumpsters.

Toxic substances and household hazard waste, such as paint and home hazardous products, will not be accepted in the dumpsters.

A household hazard waste sweep through the neighborhood, at no cost to residents, will be announced when more information is available.

For burned out areas, household hazard waste that is surrounded by ash should not be touched without proper protective gear, as there can be potential health hazards associated with it.

A local assistance center, located at the Middletown Senior Center/Library, will distribute gloves and masks daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

For more information about disposal of household goods, please contact the Lake County Office of Public Services at 707-262-1760.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – Local and state officials shared updates on the latest developments on the Valley fire on Friday afternoon.

The daily briefings are held at 1 p.m. on the front steps of the Lake County Courthouse at 255 N. Forbes St. in Lakeport.

Officials discussed firefighting effort and the work to respond to the needs of fire victims.

The full video can be seen above.

Middletown, Calif -- Middletown schools superintendent Catherine Stone shares a letter with the community regarding the possibility of Middletown schools possibly opening by the end of next week or the following Monday. Stone also provides a status report on current conditions.

Dear Middletown USD families,

Our thoughts and prayers are with all of you as we begin, as a community, to recover from this terrible event.  I want you to know that we are working very hard to have the schools ready as soon as possible so that we are ready for your children whenever we are allowed to return home.  We think we may be able to open at the end of next week, or on Monday of the following week.

There is a lot of smoke, ash, and soot in some of our campuses, and this needs to be cleaned out (by wiping everything in the rooms and HEPA vacuuming) and then the air purified.  All of the food in our refrigerators and freezers has spoiled and needs to be removed and replaced. This work begins with a large team from ATI coming in on Saturday. They are hoping to be done by Wednesday, but it depends on what they run into.  I walked all the campuses with them on Tuesday, and we did a very thorough assessment, but it is always possible we missed something.

The Minnie Cannon, Coyote Valley, and Middle School campuses came through the fires without much smoke impact.  The high school/ag program was impacted more, and Cobb School the most. The large rooms seemed to fare the worst and will need extensive cleaning:  HS and MS gym, Coyote Valley and Cobb multipurpose rooms.

The Loconoma classroom and our maintenance facility burned.  We will be replacing both and plan to move the Loconoma program over to another classroom until their building is replaced.

As you can guess, Cobb School has a huge amount of smoke, soot, and ash infiltration.  This leaves the air unhealthy to breathe in the schoolrooms.  Because of the way the school was built with those lovely peaked roofs, the smoke and soot are very concentrated in the attics.  The team is going to need to access these areas to get it all cleaned out.  They’re also going to need to replace a lot of ceiling tiles, clean all carpets, wipe down every single thing in every single room, and then run air purifiers for some days.  It may take two months to get that campus ready for the staff and kids again. We are developing plans to bring the Cobb kids and their teachers into town until Cobb reopens.  Our goal is to keep everyone together.

We are also working on getting our sewers and wells back online district wide.  Our school buses seem to be fine.  They get checked out today.  ATT has placed an emergency communication satellite and generator on the Cobb field.  This will be there until the ATT lines are repaired so that the community has 911 access.

A number of our teachers, staff members, and principals have lost their homes, as have so many of our families.  We know that some families will need to stay elsewhere for awhile.  Anyone in that situation has the right to enroll their student(s) in the local schools until they can return.  We are also trying to figure out a way to provide bus service into the district for those of you who are staying in Clearlake and Kelseyville and areas nearby and want your children to continue to attend our schools.

Middletown USD families, we are here to teach and support your children in every way we can.  We are very anxious to get things back to normal for all of our students and know that you, our community, feels the same way.  We will have teams of counselors and mental health professionals on campuses to help us transition the children back into school and deal with the trauma of the Valley Fire. There are going to be some bumps in the road, and we hope you’ll be patient with us as we deal with them.

If you have any further questions or concerns, please feel free to e-mail me.  As long as I can keep my devices charged up, I will respond.

Love to you all, and stay Middletown Strong,

Catherine Stone

Superintendent, Middletown Schools