LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County Animal Care and Control's kennels are full this week with another group of dogs of all types.

Dogs featured this week are mixes of American Bulldog, basset hound, boxer, Chihuahua, dachshund, hound, Jack Russell terrier, Labrador Retriever, pit bull, poodle and shepherd.

Dogs that are adopted from Lake County Animal Care and Control are either neutered or spayed, microchipped and, if old enough, given a rabies shot and county license before being released to their new owner. License fees do not apply to residents of the cities of Lakeport or Clearlake.

If you're looking for a new companion, visit the shelter. There are many great pets hoping you'll choose them.

In addition to the animals featured here, all adoptable animals in Lake County can be seen here: http://bit.ly/Z6xHMb .

The following dogs at the Lake County Animal Care and Control shelter have been cleared for adoption (additional dogs on the animal control Web site not listed are still “on hold”).

Jack Russell terrier mix

This male Jack Russell terrier mix has a short tricolor coat.

He's in kennel No. 4, ID No. 1357.

American Bulldog mix

This female American Bulldog mix has a short white coat.

She's in kennel No. 7, ID No. 1359.

Female boxer mix

This female boxer mix has a short tan and white coat.

Shelter staff said she is a very sweet, well-mannered girl who is looking for her forever home. She's calm and quiet, and has no food aggression or food guarding issues.

She's in kennel No. 8, ID No. 1247.

'Rambo'

“Rambo” is a male shepherd mix with a tan and black coat.

He's in kennel No. 12, ID No. 1354.

Great Pyrenees mix

This male Great Pyrenees mix has a long white coat.

He's in kennel No. 17, ID No. 1358.

Female lab mix

This female Labrador Retriever mix puppy has a short black coat.

She's in kennel No. 24a, ID No. 1212.

Dachshund-basset hound mix puppy

This female dachshund-basset hound mix puppy has a short tan and black coat.

She's in kennel No. 25c, ID No. 1271.

Dachshund-basset hound mix puppy

This female dachshund-basset hound mix puppy has a short tan and black coat.

She's in kennel No. 25d, ID No. 1272.

Female Chihuahua mix

This female Chihuahua mix has a short tan and black coat.

She's in kennel No. 26a, ID No. 1301.

'Lela'

“Lela” is a female poodle-terrier mix.

She's got a long, curly white coat.

She's in kennel No. 27, ID No. 1330.

'Chloe'

“Chloe” is a female poodle-terrier mix.

Chloe has a long curly black coat.

Find her in kennel No. 27, ID No. 1331.

'Caplina'

“Caplina” is a female poodle-terrier mix.

She has a long curly black and white coat.

Find her in kennel No. 27, ID No. 1332.

Male Chihuahua mix

This male Chihuahua mix has a sad story.

Shelter staff said he was found abandoned in a house. He was very scared at first but is now warming up.

He will need training and he may do better in a single owner home who is willing to spend time with him. He has been neutered and is ready to go to his forever home.

Find him in kennel No. 29, ID No. 1202.

Pit bull-shepherd mix

This male pit bull-shepherd mix has a short tan and white coat.

He's in kennel No. 31, ID No. 1348.

Pit bull terrier mix

This male pit bull terrier mix has a short black and white coat.

He's in kennel No. 32, ID No. 1306.

Pit bull terrier mix

This young male pit bull terrier mix has a short gray coat.

He's in kennel No. 33, ID No. 1307.

Hound-shepherd mix

This male hound-shepherd mix has a short brown coat.

Shelter staff said he is a very sweet dog that walks well on a leash and does not appear to be interested in cats.

He needs more socialization with other dogs; he does well with female dogs but caution is suggested around other males.

He has no signs of food aggression.

He's in kennel No. 34, ID No. 1107.

To fill out an adoption application online visit http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control/Adopt/Dog___Cat_Adoption_Application.htm .

Lake County Animal Care and Control is located at 4949 Helbush in Lakeport, next to the Hill Road Correctional Facility.

Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday. The shelter is open from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and on Saturday from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Visit the shelter online at http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control.htm .

For more information call Lake County Animal Care and Control at 707-263-0278.

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.

MENDOCINO NATIONAL FOREST, Calif. – With recent wet weather and more in the forecast, the Mendocino National Forest is encouraging visitors to monitor the weather and check conditions before visiting Forest recreation sites.

The first wet weather closure of the season was implemented Wednesday for both the Grindstone and Upper Lake Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) trail systems after trails were saturated by more than 2 inches of rain in 24 hours.

The trails will reopen after at least 48 hours of no measurable precipitation, forest officials said.

The closure order is formally referenced as Order Number 08-14-09 and is available online at www.fs.usda.gov/mendocino .

Recent drenching storms may have impacted roads in the forest. If you come across an area where the road is compromised or washed out, please report it to Forest Engineer Shannon Pozas at 530-934-3316.

As winter conditions return to the Mendocino National Forest, all visitors are asked to be cautious when recreating on the forest, whether they are driving, hiking, camping or enjoying other recreational pursuits – including selecting a Christmas tree.

“While this wet weather is a welcome relief, it also presents some challenges for those who enjoy the Mendocino National Forest from late fall through spring,” said Acting Forest Supervisor John Exline. “Changing conditions can present hazards to both visitors and forest resources. We want everyone to have a safe and enjoyable trip to the forest, while preserving resources so they can be enjoyed for years to come. To help with this, visitors are asked to be prepared for changing conditions, aware of their surroundings, and minimize impacts to saturated roads and trails.”

Many popular trails and some access points to recreation sites on the Mendocino involve crossing normally small creeks and streams.

Caution should be used at these stream crossings. People and vehicles can be swept away by currents in even relatively shallow water.

Also, conditions can change rapidly and a stream that was easy to cross in the morning can become impassable by afternoon, trapping people on the wrong side.

Following are some additional safety suggestions for those recreating in the forest this winter:

– Plan your trip. Check the weather, bring plenty of warm clothes, water, emergency food, tire chains, shovel and any other supplies necessary for the activity. Call to check if the area you are planning to visit is still open and accessible.
– Make sure you have a full tank of gas when you leave and are prepared for changing conditions in the mountains!
– Let someone know where you are going and when you plan to be back.
– Keep vehicles on designated roads and trails and be aware of changing weather and road conditions. Wet dirt roads can quickly turn to mud, making it possible to get stuck and causing damage to road, soil and water resources. If there are puddles in the road, mud flipping off the tires or you can see your ruts in the rearview mirror, consider pulling over to hike or turning around and finding a different area.

For more information, please contact the Mendocino National Forest at 530-934-3316 or visit www.fs.usda.gov/mendocino .

Lakeport, Calif. -- An early morning fire at M&M Mini Storage on Lakeshore Blvd in Lakeport has caused significant damage to the facility. 

Reader Ron Lawrence was able to capture this image of the scene today at approximately 7:30 a.m. as firefighters worked to stop the blaze. Lakeport Fire is still on the scene at 11 a.m..

This report will be updated as more information becomes available.

COBB, Calif. – A 3-magnitude earthquake was reported near The Geysers geothermal steamfield on Saturday.

A preliminary report from the US Geological Survey said the quake occurred at 8:26 a.m. Saturday.

The quake was centered one mile northwest of The Geysers and 13 miles southwest of Clearlake, at a depth of four-tenths of a mile, according to the report.

Two shake reports – one from Los Altos, one from San Francisco – were submitted to the US Geological Survey.

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.

Whether assets are community property (belonging equally to both spouses, separate property (belonging wholly to one spouse) or mixed (partially separate and partially community) is an important issue when a marriage ends at death or divorce.

Let us consider some examples involving life insurance, retirement plans and home purchases where the lines can get blurred.

Any assets acquired while married and living together are presumed to be community property. Unless there is an express written declaration stating otherwise that is signed by the spouse whose interest is adversely affected, any asset acquired using community property funds – including marital earnings – is a community property asset regardless of whose name is on title as the owner.

In Marriage of Valli (2014), 58 Cal. 4th 1396, the California Supreme Court recently considered a life insurance policy purchased by a husband naming his then wife as both owner and beneficiary of the policy.

The court ruled that the policy was the couple’s community property and not the wife’s own separate property. Why?

The reasoning was that the policy was purchased with community funds and the husband had not signed an express written declaration saying that he relinquished his one-half community property interest.

The court held that the signed written declaration requirement still applied equally to purchases made by a spouse and not only to transfers of property between spouses.

Next, property interests acquired prior to marriage remain that owner’s separate property after marriage.

In Marriage of Green (2013), 56 Cal. 4h 1130, the California Supreme Court considered a husband’s military service credits, earned during his military service prior to marriage, which allowed him to purchase enhanced retirement benefits.

The court ruled that the credits were his separate property even though community property assets were later used to purchase the credits while married.

The court required the husband’s estate to repay the community property estate for the community funds the husband used to purchase his service credits. The reimbursement was a fraction of the husband’s enhancement to his retirement benefits.

Likewise, community property rights acquired during marriage can continue after the community has ended where a residual benefit remains.

In Marriage of Barwell (2013), 221 Cal. App. 4th 1, the California Fifth Circuit Court of Appeal considered a term life insurance policy purchased by a husband with community property funds.

The court ruled that the policy continued to have a community property interest after the marriage ended because the policy’s right of renewal was purchased during the first marriage using community property funds.

Accordingly, the policy proceeds had to be allocated between the community property estate of the husband’s first marriage and the husband’s separate property estate.

The husband’s separate estate had an interest in the policy too because he paid the insurance premiums on the renewed policy which is why the policy was in effect when he died.

Next, consider the purchase of real property by a single person before marriage where some or all of the subsequent mortgage payments are paid using marital earnings. What interests do the community and separate property estates have in the house?

The residence is the separate property of the person on title because the house was purchased using separate property assets.

However, because community property funds were then used to pay some or all of the mortgage payments, the community property estate was entitled to reimbursement.

Accordingly, any appreciation in the value of the real property benefits the separate property estate. Conversely, any deprecation in value hurts the separate property estate.

Either way the community property estate is entitled to reimbursement, nothing more and nothing less.

Dennis A. Fordham, attorney (LL.M. tax studies), is a State Bar Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Probate and Trust Law. His office is at 870 S. Main St., Lakeport, California. Fordham can be reached by e-mail at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or by phone at 707-263-3235. Visit his Web site at www.dennisfordhamlaw.com .

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – AccuWeather's Global Weather Center reports that a long train of storms over the Pacific Ocean is on an express route to Northern California and the coastal Northwest and will deliver rounds of drenching rain into the middle of December.

The weather pattern through the middle of the month has the potential to bring 6 to 12 inches of rain from Northern California to western Washington state and yards of snow to the high country of the northern Sierra Nevada and Cascades.

While much less rain and high country snow are likely to fall farther south in California, there will be a few rounds of needed moisture.
 
The storm from this past Tuesday and Wednesday was only the beginning of a pattern that will deliver moisture in the form of rain and high-country snow to the West Coast.

Much more rain on a gradual basis is needed to alleviate the extreme to exceptional drought conditions extending back several years, centered on California.

Since the start of 2013 and prior to the storm of Dec. 2 and 3, a rainfall deficit of 1 to 2 feet was common in the region with even greater deficits in some areas.

The Tuesday-Wednesday storm delivered an average of 1 to 3 inches of rain to California with locally higher and lower amounts.

Rainfall from the storm was 2.53 inches at San Diego, 2.96 inches at Sacramento and 3.56 inches at San Francisco. Enough rain fell to cause isolated urban-style flooding, as well as mudslides.

The next storm in the train will reach the California, Oregon and Washington coasts Friday afternoon and will continue into early Saturday.

The bulk of this rain will fall from Northern California to Oregon, where a general 1 to 2 inches are likely.

Northern California's Lake County is expected to see a maximum of just over an inch of rain from Friday through Saturday, according to the forecast.

Locally higher amounts of rain are possible in the west and southwest-facing slopes of the coastal ranges, northern Sierra Nevada and Cascades. Very spotty showers may reach as far south as the Los Angeles Basin.

Snow levels with the Friday night storm will be generally above 7,500 feet in the northern Sierra Nevada, but some ice and snow can occur at pass level in the northern Cascades.

There will be a little break from the storms during the middle of this weekend.
 
However, another storm is due to roll in from the Pacific Sunday night.

Essentially, storms are likely to arrive along the West Coast every other day or so.
 
There is the potential for a large storm to swing onshore later next week, which could spread heavy rain into Southern California.

Any of the storms through the middle of the month will bring a risk of renewed isolated flooding and mudslides.

Alex Sosnowski is an expert senior meteorologist for www.AccuWeather.com .

The world is getting warmer.

It comes as no surprise, therefore, when researchers announce as they did this past September that Arctic sea ice extent is still below normal, continuing a years-long downward trend, covering less and less of the north polar seas with a frozen crust.

On the heels of that announcement, came another, a little more puzzling.

While Arctic sea ice was melting, Antarctic sea ice was at an all-time high. In 2014, sea ice surrounding Antarctica covered more of the southern oceans than it has since satellite record began in the late 1970s.

Is this also a sign of global warming?

“There is no doubt that climate change is real,” said Walt Meier of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. “The two poles are just responding in their own unique way to the same global phenomenon.”

He pointed out that Earth, taken as a whole, is losing sea ice.

According to satellite measurements from NASA and the National Snow and Ice Data Center, the Arctic has lost an average of 20,800 square miles of sea ice a year since the late 70s.

Meanwhile, the Antarctic has gained an average of 7,300 square miles per year – not enough to balance loses at the other end of the planet.

But why do the Arctic and Antarctic behave in different ways?

“The increase we've seen in Antarctic sea ice is a little bit of a mystery,” said Meier. “We're still trying to figure out how a warmer global climate leads to these regional increases in ice cover.”

The culprit could be weather. Climate change is altering weather patterns around the planet, and one of those changes is an increase in windiness around the continent of Antarctica.

Cold air blows from the ice-covered continent out over the sea, freezing the waters and pushing sea ice outward to cover record-setting areas.

“That's one theory,” said Meier. “I think that winds are definitely playing a substantial role. But other factors could be at work, too.”

For instance, he pointed out that glaciers melting around the edges of the continent could, ironically, produce more ice in the surrounding ocean.

“Fresh meltwater from glaciers is easier to freeze than briny seawater,” he explained.

Snowfall could be important, too.

Snow landing on thin sea ice can weigh the ice down and push it just below the water.

Cold ocean water seeps up through the ice and floods the snow – leading to a slushy mixture that freezes and thickens the sea ice.

Some scientists feel that these processes could simply be due the natural variations in the Antarctic region's climate.

While it is clear that global warming is playing a significant role in the loss of Arctic sea ice, the trend in the Antarctic is small enough that it could be explained simply due to natural variations in the region's climate.

“Ultimately,” said Meier, “we expect that continued warming will take its toll, and even Antarctic sea ice will begin to decline.”

What we are seeing, he suggested, is the quirky regional way Earth responds to a global stimulus.

Earth's climate system is complex, and climate change will continue to have fascinatingly unpredictable consequences in the years ahead.

Dr. Tony Phillips works for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

On Dec. 3, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA, successfully launched its Hayabusa2 mission to rendezvous with an asteroid, land a small probe plus three mini rovers on its surface, and then return samples to Earth.

NASA and JAXA are cooperating on the science of the mission and NASA will receive a portion of the Hayabusa2 sample in exchange for providing Deep Space Network communications and navigation support for the mission.

Hayabusa2 builds on lessons learned from JAXA’s initial Hayabusa mission, which collected samples from a small asteroid named Itokawa and returned them to Earth in June 2010.

Hayabusa2’s target is a 750 meter-wide asteroid named 1999 JU3, because of the year when it was discovered by the NASA-sponsored Lincoln Near-Earth Asteroid Research project, Lexington, Massachusetts.

This is a C-type asteroid which are thought to contain more organic material than other asteroids. Scientists hope to better understand how the solar system evolved by studying samples from these asteroids.

“We think of C-type asteroids as being less altered than others,” said Lucy McFadden, a planetary scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. “Bringing that material back and being able to look at it in the lab – I think it’s going to be very exciting.”

On Nov. 17, NASA and JAXA signed a memorandum of understanding for cooperation on the Hayabusa2 mission and NASA’s Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security – Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) mission to mutually maximize their missions’ results. OSIRIS-REx is scheduled to launch in 2016.

It will be the first U.S. asteroid sample return mission. OSIRIS-REx will rendezvous with the 500-meter-sized asteroid Bennu in 2019 for detailed reconnaissance and a return of samples to Earth in 2023.

Hayabusa2 and OSIRIS-REx will further strengthen the two space agencies’ relationship in asteroid exploration.

The missions will also help NASA choose its target for the first-ever mission to capture and redirect an asteroid. NASA's Asteroid Redirect Mission (ARM) in the 2020s will help NASA test new technologies needed for future human missions for the Journey to Mars.

Comets and asteroids contain material that formed in a disk surrounding our infant sun.

The hundreds of thousands of known asteroids are leftovers from material that didn't coalesce into a planet or moon in the inner solar system.

The thousands of known comets likely formed in the outer solar system, far from the sun's heat, where water exists as ice.

Larger objects like dwarf planets Pluto and Ceres also formed in the outer solar system, where water ice is stable. Pluto and Ceres will soon be explored by NASA missions New Horizons and Dawn, respectively.

Asteroids and comets are of unique interest to scientists, though, because they could hold clues to the origins of life on Earth.

These missions have greatly increased scientific knowledge on Earth about our solar system and the history of our planet.

Many scientists suspect we could find organic material in asteroids and comets, like amino acids – critical building blocks for life, which could help answer questions about the origins of life on Earth. These questions drive us to continue exploring the intriguing asteroids and comets of our solar system.

Multiple missions that are operating in space or in development by NASA and international partners could bring us much closer to answering that question in our lifetimes and also help identify Near-Earth Objects that might pose a risk of Earth impact, and further help inform developing options for planetary defense.

Follow the latest missions and discoveries at: http://www.nasa.gov/asteroid-and-comet-watch/ .

Dr. Tony Phillips works for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Lake County Hero Project celebrated its first Hullabaloo on Nov. 19.

The Hero Project Hullabaloos are family-friendly, themed events that focus on parent engagement.

Nearly 150 parents, children and volunteers filled the Lower Lake High School Multipurpose room for the evening event, which focused on the importance of reading together and eating together as a family.

A free meal was provided with dessert. Every child received a free United Way backpack filled with books and a school readiness binder.

Additionally, every family received all the necessary ingredients to make an apple pie at home for Thanksgiving. 

The next Hero Project Hullabaloo will focus on the December and January themes of Unplug and Play.

Nearly 40 families visited informational booths sponsored by Easter Seals, Healthy Start, North Coast Opportunities, WIC and Lake Family Resource Center.

As dinner was cleared, the children exited to the library for stories and crafts. A short presentation reminded parents of the importance of reading together and eating together regularly.

Parents were placed into small discussion groups. Group leaders asked questions like, “What is your biggest struggle when getting your child to read?” The open-forum discussion groups allowed parents to share real life challenges and successes with one another.

The evening concluded as the children returned. Various prizes were awarded. Local gift certificates were given to parent discussion group winners. One family won a Hero Project book nook. Nearly 20 children won free books via a drawing.

The Hero Project is on a mission to remind all parents that they are their child’s first and most important teacher.

A singular monthly focus helps parents hone their superhero parenting skills through challenges and incentives. 

In October families were challenged to read together at least three times each week. Parents who completed this challenge received a free book for every young child in their household.

During November families were challenged to take a S.E.A.T (sit eat and talk) around the family dinner table weekly. Challenge champions will earn a free pizza to a local restaurant.

In December families will be challenged to unplug and reconnect daily. Parents who complete this challenge will win an age appropriate board or card game for their children.

The Hero Project offers specific parenting tips, tricks, and tools via social media (Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter) and through its Web site.

The Hero Project would like to thank the Lake County Office of Education Literacy Task Force for donating books, United Way Wine Country for donating backpacks, DJ’s Pizza for donating pizzas, North Coast Opportunities for donating apples, and Hardester’s Market and Clearlake Walmart for donating pie crusts for the Hullabaloo.

The Hero Project is made possible through the following sponsors: Lake County Office of Education, St. Helena Hospital Clearlake, Sutter Lakeside Hospital, Redbud Health Care District, Health Leadership Network and First 5 Lake.

For more information about the Hero Project visit www.lakecountyheroproject.com . Follow the Hero Project on Twitter at @HeroProjectLake.

Robyn Bera is a communications specialist with the Lake County Office of Education. Contact her at 707-262-4133 or at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for additional information about the Hero Project.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Kelseyville Food Pantry and the Lake County Hunger Task Force each received a $5,000 check from Sutter Lakeside Hospital and Sutter Health this November to feed the hungry in Lake County this holiday season.

The donations are part of a holiday tradition by the Sutter Health system and by Sutter Lakeside.

The Sutter Health network gives a quarter-million-dollar donation to Northern California food banks toward year's end as a means of expressing its not-for-profit mission.

“One of the things that I like most about Sutter is its commitment to support our local charities, organizations, schools and causes in the communities that they serve,” said Siri Nelson, chief administrative officer of Sutter Lakeside Hospital.

“Here in Lake County, many of our residents have to choose between buying groceries and paying bills,” Nelson said. “We are indebted to community partners like the Lake County Hunger Task Force and the Kelseyville Food Pantry for addressing the hunger needs of our patients, our neighbors and our families.”

“We are thrilled to be the recipient of such a large cash donation,” said Julie Berry from the Kelseyville Food Pantry. “Individuals and businesses in our community are spectacularly generous.”

Tammy Alakszay, Lake County’s Community Action and Volunteer Network coordinator for North Coast Opportunities, added, “The Hunger Task Force will use these funds for backpacks that we distribute weekly through the Hub in Upper Lake to needy families. They get them on Friday so that they have food available over the weekend when kids are not being fed at school.”

To make a donation to the Kelseyville Food Pantry, contact Julie Berry at the Kelseyville Presbyterian Church at 707-279-1104.

To make a donation to the Hunger Task Force, contact Lorrie Gray at 707-277-9227.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lake County Arson Task Force is leading the investigation into a Friday morning fire that destroyed dozens of units at a Lakeport mini storage facility.

Resources from several local fire agencies were on the scene of the incident – which occurred at M&M Mini Storage at 4285 Lakeshore Blvd. – for much of the day.

John Marino, who owns the facility, estimated that three-quarters of his 82 storage units and their contents were destroyed by the fire.

Marino said the fire consumed many irreplaceable family heirlooms, along with a number of cars and boats.

“For me, personally, my heart breaks for all my tenants,” he said.

Lakeport Fire Capt. Bob Ray said the fire was dispatched shortly before 5 a.m.

“It was pretty well involved by the time we got the call,” he said, noting that firefighters en route could see the fire – which already had gone through the mini storage's roof – glowing in the distance.

Ray said the fire started somewhere near the center of the units and burned both directions along the length of the building.

Lakeport Fire and Kelseyville Fire initially responded, with Northshore Fire sending units from its Nice and Upper Lake stations, Ray said.

There were a total of eight engines, a ladder truck and five chief officers who worked the incident, Ray said.

Ray said incident command also requested a response from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife due to concerns about runoff possibly making its way into nearby drainages and, then, Clear Lake.

“We were able to mitigate that,” Ray said.

Lake County Environmental Health and Public Works also responded, with the Lake County Sheriff's Office sending units for traffic control, Ray said.

Although the units did not have electricity, Ray said Pacific Gas and Electric was on scene due to power lines for nearby residences being close to the fire.

Ray said it took about two hours to control the fire, with units remaining on scene for several hours more to deal with small pockets of burning debris.

He and several of the units and firefighters were relieved by day staff at around noon, while Lakeport Fire Chief Doug Hutchison and other personnel remained at the location until about 3 p.m., when the incident was finally terminated.

Ray said there currently is no estimate of total damages, as fire officials don't know everything that was in the units, which he estimated were about 12 feet by 30 feet, or the size of a one-car garage only deeper.

He said there were boats, classic cars, tools, antiques and a variety of other objects destroyed.

There were reports of acetylene tanks and ammunition in some of the units. Ray said there were some loud explosions but he didn't know the exact source.

Ray said the Lake County Arson Task Force is investigating.

“We don't have a cause yet,” he said, adding he wasn't sure how long it would take investigators to reach a conclusion. “It will be a while.”

He said the mini storage was typical in that it didn't have electricity, “So that kind of eliminates electrical as being the cause.”

The odd time of day – before 5 a.m., when people aren't normally coming and going from such a facility – has raised questions about the fire's potential cause, Ray said.

Marino, a former Lakeport planning commissioner, has owned M&M Mini Storage for nine years, buying it in poor condition – he said it had been a “dump” – and fixing it up. Along the way, he said he became friends with all of his tenants.

Over the years they've told him stories about the possessions they kept there – such as a rocking chair owned by grandmother that had been used to rock the family's babies to sleep – to other valued antiques.

On Friday, Marino said he heard even more of those stories as people recounted the histories of their lost treasures.

While Marino said it's easy for him to rebuild his business, what his tenants have lost can't be so easily replaced, adding it was “devastating for a lot of people.”

Speaking as he was leaving the business late Friday afternoon, Marino's voice broke, and he noted that he couldn't remember the last time he had cried.

He said he was trying to process what had happened and all of the stories he had heard, set against the backdrop of the holiday season.

“It's been a long day,” he 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.

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – Two Hidden Valley Lake men were injured in a Thursday morning crash in Napa County that led to the brief closure of a portion of Highway 29.

Michael Perreault, 45, and Brian Deutsch, 55, were injured when their vehicles hit head-on in the area just south of Old Lawley Toll Road on Mount St. Helena, according to a report from the California Highway Patrol's Napa office.

The CHP report said that at approximately 6:18 a.m. Perreault, driving a 2005 Jeep Wrangler, was traveling northbound approaching a sweeping right turn in the roadway, with Deutsch, in a 1994 Honda Civic, driving southbound approaching the same curve in the roadway.  

As Perreault's Jeep entered the curve in the road, he applied the brakes, but the CHP said the vehicle failed to maintain the northbound lane through the curve, sliding into the southbound lane, directly into the path of Deutsch's Honda.  

The CHP said the left front of the Jeep struck the left front of the Honda, with the impact causing moderate to major damage to both vehicles.

Deutsch, who was not wearing his seat belt, suffered major injuries and was transported by ambulance to Queen of the Valley Hospital. From there, he was taken to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital, the CHP said.

Perreault was wearing his seat belt and sustained minor injuries. The CHP said he was taken by ambulance to Queen of the Valley Hospital.

Both Calistoga Fire and Cal Fire were on scene, as well as Calistoga Police, according to the CHP.

CHP Officer Anna Paulson said Highway 29 was closed to through traffic for an hour and 20 minutes while emergency personnel worked at the scene and to allow authorities to conduct the investigation into the traffic collision.

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.