LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – There was both good and bad news from the front lines of the Jerusalem and Rocky fires on Friday evening.

For the good, officials reported that the state's largest wildland fire, the Rocky incident, was brought to full containment during the course of the day.

The Rocky fire has scorched 69,438 acres and burned close to 100 structures – about half homes and the rest outbuildings – since it began burning east of Lower Lake on July 29.

Also good news, on the Jerusalem fire firefighters once again held its growth down from its average over previous days, with Friday's final size estimate up to to 25,054 acres, an increase of approximately 499 acres from Cal Fire's morning report.

In addition, firefighters pushed containment up significantly to 71 percent, a jump of 19 percent since the day began, and there have been no injuries, according to Cal Fire.

However, the bad news on Friday came after Cal Fire officials were able to get into the Jerusalem fire area when it was safe to verify and assess damages, according to Cal Fire spokesman Scott McLean.

At that point, McLean said they confirmed that four residences and 13 outbuildings have been destroyed by the blaze, which has been burning since Aug. 9 in the Jerusalem Valley area northeast of Middletown.

The Jerusalem fire has threatened a total of 50 structures – a fraction of the thousands of homes and structures that at one point had been in the Rocky's path – with mandatory evacuations and advisory evacuation still in place, and a Red Cross evacuation center remaining open at Kelseyville High School, Cal Fire said. Road closures also remain in effect in the fire area.

McLean said firefighters remain concerned about large patches of brush that have not burned in the center and the northeast area of the Jerusalem fire's perimeter.

“We want to get them ringed with hand lines and dozer lines,” he said.

On Friday, another concern was the forecast for winds overnight and into early Saturday, with wind speeds predicted to top out at nearly 30 miles per hour, conditions that Cal Fire said could contribute to spot fires.

There also is a weekend forecast that includes temperatures in the upper 90s and lower relative humidity, Cal Fire said.

McLean said firefighters are watching the conditions to see how the fire lines hold.

Full containment has been pushed back on the Jerusalem fire to Aug. 21, McLean said.

“We’ve still got a lot of work to do and the terrain is unforgiving,” he added.

Resources assigned to the Jerusalem incident have continued to increase. On Friday evening, Cal Fire reported that 2,451 personnel were committed, along with 169 engines, 67 hand crews, 34 dozers, 21 water tenders, 12 helicopters and four air tankers.

Meanwhile, within the Rocky fire's massive perimeter, McLean said patrol will continue for some weeks as crews make sure all hot spots are out.

He said the investigations into the causes of both fires are continuing.

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.

CLEARLAKE OAKS, Calif. – A group of Clearlake Oaks residents are working to find solutions to algae's impacts on their community, including expanding a project to use booms to control where the algae travels.

In 2013 members of the Clearlake Keys Property Owners Association first installed floating booms borrowed from the county at the mouth to the subdivision's channels, as Lake County News has reported: bit.ly/12L1g9K .

This year, a group of concerned citizens led by Doug Smith, Ed Legan and Leroy Dubrall are spearheading the effort to expand the project and its positive benefits.

Prior to the project, the Keys' channels had become filled with bright green, dying blue-green algae mats, which caused a mess for residents and resulted in a foul-smelling stench, according to Dubrall.

Since then, however, Dubrall said the situation has improved. The blue-green algae, or cyanobacteria, was very minimal in the Keys in 2014.

This year, there has been an increase in the algae, which Dubrall believes is due to the increase of the invasive aquatic plant creeping water primrose, which took root during last year's low water year.

Dubrall said this year the 800-foot-long booms – which took about three days to put in place early last month – are in roughly the same location as the two previous years, at the mouth of the Keys, but have been secured by attaching them to four metal poles placed in the Keys' jurisdiction.

It cost about $3,500 to place those booms, with homeowners association President Joe Stella getting them the money and contractor Bob Milano giving the group a good price on placing the poles, Dubrall said.

The booms protect the Keys' channels, swim beach, a public launch ramp at the nearby county park, Clarks Island and the Island RV Park, Dubrall said.

He said the county's Lakebed Management division waived more than $1,000 in permit fees to help with the placement of all of the poles.

Lake County Vector Control Director Jamie Scott said the Keys boom project has had an added benefit: It has helped cut down on mosquito activity.

She said the wind pushed the algae into the Keys' channels, where it got very warm.

“Not all algae creates mosquito habitats,” but she said that was the case in the Keys.

Before the boom project, the algae – in particular, a type called lyngbya – was getting pushed up into the channels, where it was dying and decaying. Scott explained that the decomposition process pulled the oxygen from the water, which killed off the predators that kept the mosquitoes in check.

Scott said that, over the years, Vector Control has rarely detected significant numbers of mosquitoes in the Clearlake Keys.

However, she said that in 2012 her staff detected “extraordinary numbers” of immature and Culex mosquitoes in the Clearlake Keys.

The Culex mosquitoes are carriers – or vectors – of West Nile virus, and as a result there was an associated increase in the virus in that area that year. Scott said district staff found Culex mosquito larvae developing in the emergent vegetation and along the edges of the algal mats.

However, the installation of the booms “made a huge difference” in significantly reducing mosquito numbers in 2013, according to Scott, who has given her support to the ongoing boom project.

There was an increase in mosquitoes in 2014, but the numbers remained much lower than in 2012, with none of the mosquitoes tested in that area showing West Nile virus, she said.

This year, however, there has been a new issue, with the increase in creeping water primrose, which has grown thick in the channels. Like lyngbya, the creeping primrose causes oxygen levels to drop and kills the mosquito-eating fish and other creatures, Scott said.

She said that as a result there has begun to be an increase in mosquitoes again this year, with her agency out treating for larvae and adult mosquitoes.

Dubrall said expanding the boom project is estimated to cost as much as $4,000, which will cover the cost and placement of the three new boom poles, the required navigation lights and the individual lights to be placed upon the booms themselves.

With neither the county nor the homeowners' association having the funding available, Dubrall and his colleagues are going out to ask for private donations.

As of the start of this month, Dubrall said they had received more than $800 in private donations, with the Clearlake Oaks Glenhaven Business Association pledging matching funds.

The group is expecting to expand its fundraising efforts further in the community, Dubrall said.

The new project is waiting not just on funding but also on water levels going down a few feet to make the installation easier, said Dubrall.

The homeowners association also is continuing to pursue its other manners of weed and algae control, including the use of its weed harvester, he said.

“Our harvester is on its last legs,” said Dubrall, noting the association has owned it since 1990.

“It's done a lot of good,” but needs a lot of repairs, said Dubrall.

They're working with the county on exploring options for getting a new harvester, which is estimated to cost about $68,000.

“It's all up in the air right now,” he said.

For those wanting to donate or otherwise assist with the project, call Dubrall at 707-400-9251.

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. – Winds and topography continue to push the Jerusalem fire deeper into wildland, but firefighters have matched the fire's activity by making progress to put in the containment that ultimately will control it.

While by Thursday morning the fire had grown to 23,500 acres – with much of its northern perimeter now bumping up against the southern perimeter of the Rocky fire based on the latest maps – firefighters once again significantly increased containment, more than doubling it to 33 percent, according to Cal Fire.

Cal Fire spokesman Daniel Berlant said in a Thursday afternoon report that the Jerusalem is the most active of the 14 wildland fires burning across the state.

Berlant said the Jerusalem fire was very active on Wednesday evening, but firefighters have made good progress on the blaze, which began on Sunday afternoon in the Jerusalem Valley area northeast of Middletown, and has since burned into Napa and Yolo counties.

On Thursday, Berlant said winds again were proving a concern on the Jerusalem fire.

Shortly before 2 p.m., weather and radio reports indicated that winds in the fire area ranged from 5 to 9 miles per hour from the south southwest and between 15 to 20 miles per hour on ridge tops, with winds expected to shift and come from the west northwest at between 8 and 11 miles per hour on Thursday evening, with gusts of between 25 to 30 miles per hour.

The Jerusalem fire is burning heavy vegetation, which Cal Fire said is producing “extreme” fire behavior, with the fire being driven by wind, the fuel and the steep topography.

Firefighters are continuing to be challenged in accessing the fire due to the area's lack of improved roads, Cal Fire said.

On Thursday firefighters were focusing efforts on the fire's southern and eastern flanks, where they continue to construct fire line to stop the fire's forward progress while defending structures, according to Cal Fire.

Cal Fire said 50 structures remain threatened but none so far have been damaged or destroyed, with mandatory and advisory evacuations remaining in place for areas near the fire. Evacuation areas are listed at http://cdfdata.fire.ca.gov/incidents/incidents_details_info?inciden .

On Thursday 2,053 firefighters remained assigned to the Jerusalem fire, with 140 engines, 57 hand crews, 28 dozers, 21 water tenders, 15 helicopters and four air tankers.

The Rocky fire to the north, which began July 29, remained at 95-percent containment on Thursday, with Cal Fire adjusting its overall size to 69,438 acres based on more accurate mapping, Berlant said. It's expected to be fully contained by Saturday.

Some 361 personnel, 24 engines, 14 dozers, eight water tenders and six fire crews continue to work on mop up and final containment on the Rocky. Berlant said firefighters are putting in the last containment lines around the fire.

Both the Rocky and Jerusalem fires are the two largest burning in the state, based on Cal Fire data.

The Jerusalem fire is still on track to be fully contained by Monday, 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.

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Firefighters from local and state agencies worked to control to a wildland fire reported Friday night in Clearlake.

The fire was reported shortly before 8:30 p.m. Friday on Sulphur Bank Road and North Drive, in the Clearlake Park area near the Clearlake city limit, based on radio reports.

Units arriving on scene found the fire moving uphill, putting the size initially at about two acres, with estimates a short time later putting it at closer to 10 acres, according to reports from the scene.

Scanner reports indicated Lake County Fire, Northshore Fire and Cal Fire were responding to the incident.

Clearlake Police officers also were requested by the fire chief on scene to assist with closing down the roadway in both directions to all but emergency traffic while firefighters are at work.

Incident command estimated that significant resources were needed on the fire, including dozers to build line around it.

Dozers quickly arrived on scene and worked on the fire's flanks, according to radio reports.

At around 9:20 p.m., firefighters at the scene estimated the blaze had burned between 20 and 30 acres, with a two- to four-hour commitment of resources anticipated at that time.

However, when the fire was finally reported contained just before 11:45 p.m., incident command backed the acreage estimate down to between eight and 10 acres.

Mop up was expected to continue for about two hours, reports indicated.

Additional information will be posted as it becomes available.

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.

While weather forecasters are predicting a strong El Niño that could signal the arrival of significant rain in the coming fall and winter season, the state climatologist is urging Californians to lower their expectations with respect to the weather phenomenon.

“California cannot count on potential El Niño conditions to halt or reverse drought conditions,” State Climatologist Michael Anderson said Thursday.

“Historical weather data shows us that at best, there is a 50/50 chance of having a wetter winter,” Anderson added. “Unfortunately, due to shifting climate patterns, we cannot even be that sure.”

The current drought has resulted in observations of new, record-high temperatures and record low snowpack for California.

Five of the lowest 10 snowpacks on record have occurred in the last decade, including the past four years, officials reported.

The seasonal snowpack is a key element to California’s water resources management, modulating winter precipitation into spring runoff for beneficial use through the dry summer.

As California heads into a new water year – which takes place from Oct. 1 to Sept. 30 – with a potential fifth year of drought and expectations of El Niño impacts in play during the winter, questions mount on what can be expected of winter temperatures, precipitation and snowpack for California.

The El Niño-Southern Oscillation, or ENSO, is “characterized by year-to-year fluctuations in sea surface temperatures along the equator in the Pacific Ocean between Peru and the International Date Line, and concomitant fluctuations in sea level air pressures between Tahiti and Darwin, Australia,” according to a July report from the Western Regional Climate Center.

The report, which can be seen below, gives more detail and information on the unpredictable nature of the El Niño phenomenon.

Officials like Anderson are pointing out that a historical look at past years with similar El Niño conditions as currently forecasted provide little guidance as to what California might expect this winter.

Of the seven years since 1950 with similar El Niño signals – 1958, 1966, 1973, 1983, 1988, 1992 and 1998 – three were wet years, one was average and three were dry, with water year 1992 perpetuating a drought, officials said.

Past years were cooler than the temperatures California is experiencing now, which officials said also will impact the rain/snow boundary for any storms that materialize this winter.

The Western Regional Climate Center report explains that the ENSO cycle is expressed as three states: neutral conditions, El Niño (warm ocean phase), and La Niña (cold ocean phase).

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Climate Prediction Center ENSO diagnostic discussion is predicting  a 90-percent chance of El Niño conditions in the fall and early winter, based on the climate center's report.

However, that may not translate into much rain for Lake County and other Northern California areas, the center suggested.

“There is almost no correlation between precipitation and El Niño conditions in Northern and Central California. ENSO’s strongest signal in California is for Southern California to be drier than average in La Nina years,” the report stated.

Drought ENSO Handout4

AccuWeather reports that as fall of 2015 unfolds, an already brutal wildfire season will continue across much of California and the Northwest.

In contrast, the rain will continue at times in the Southwest even after the monsoon fades in early September.

An expected strong El Niño will lead to beneficial rain for Southern California, but it may be delayed until late fall and winter; meanwhile, flooding and mudslides will threaten the Four Corners region, in addition to some mid-fall snow.

Wet weather is forecast to unfold across the south-central United States after a drier second half of summer, even spreading into the Southeast and mid-Atlantic at times. Farther northeast, a dry autumn is in store for leaf-peepers while the neighboring Midwest will face some chilly conditions.

Warm weather to kick off fall for Mid-Atlantic, Northeast

Fall will get off to a warm start in the Northeast and mid-Atlantic before cooler, more seasonable air settles in during late September.

"There will be some periods where temperatures will come up from time to time. I think there's going to be that back and forth still going on through mid-fall," AccuWeather Expert Long-Range Forecaster Paul Pastelok said.

The region will dry out ahead of winter and, overall, the weather will be conducive to leaf-peepers and those planning to attend the region's many harvest festivals.

After a bitterly cold winter of 2014-2015, the winter of 2015-2016 will be milder. However, the season will be stormy with near- to above-normal snowfall in the offing for many, which could influence temperatures downward late in the season.
 
"In the Northeast, we've seen a couple of really nasty winters and lots of big storms. And that was without El Niño. El Niño can bring lots of moisture. The question is always, is the cold there when the moisture arrives?"

The moisture may transpire as flooding rains for the mid-Atlantic early, until mid- to late-season when it can be cold enough for snowfall in cities such as Philadelphia and New York City.

Overall, however, the heaviest snow of the season will most likely fall north and west of these areas.

One or two tropical systems in offing for the Southeast

Despite below-normal numbers predicted for the Atlantic hurricane season, the Southeast could still get one or two impacts into the fall.
 
"I'd watch the central eastern Gulf of Mexico coastline and also maybe the Carolinas," Pastelok said. "September is the month. I think after that the threat will weaken fast and go away."

Regardless of potential tropical impacts, a significant amount of moisture will still make its way into the Southeast through late fall and beyond.

When winter rolls around, severe weather will reignite in Florida, while areas from eastern Texas to Virginia will face rounds of rain and the threat for flooding.

This fall, the Midwest will be milder overall compared to fall of 2014, but it doesn't mean the crop-growing region will be in the clear of occasional early shots of cold air.
 
"The Midwest could get an early shot of chill in the second or third week of September that can get cold enough to produce frost," Pastelok said.

Wild temperature swings are possible at times, with quick snaps of cold followed by a week of warmer weather.

As for late fall and into the early winter season, there is an opportunity for a storm track to come to places like Chicago and Indianapolis, according to AccuWeather long-range forecasters.
 
Mild air to stretch across Northern Plains; Southern Plains to remain wet, cool
 
Mild air will infiltrate the northern Plains into the fall as warmth that has built up over the summer in the Northwest and western Canada spreads eastward.

"This will start in October then come on strong in November. Temperature departures can range anywhere from 3-6 degrees above normal by November," Pastelok said.

Come winter, snowfall for the region is predicted to be below normal.

In the southern Plains, increased rainfall, below-normal temperatures and limited sunshine will define autumn. "It may not be extremely cold, but it will be rough to get those sunny days that get those temperatures up during the daylight hours," Pastelok said.

Fire danger to worsen in California, Northwest

High heat going into the fall and increasingly dry conditions will allow an already brutal wildfire season to worsen across much of California and the Northwest.
 
"The problem with the Northwest is they're getting these weak systems that produce spotty storms and they're kicking off more fires than they're helping [to extinguish]," Pastelok said.

Into October, the region could also get some late-season 90-degree days.
 
However, in California, Santa Ana winds will be at fault through September and October. This will bolster the fire threat, in what has already been a deadly and destructive season.

Some rain is possible for the drought-stricken state from October to November, though it will hardly make up for the existing deficit.

The greatest chance for denting or eliminating the long-term drought will be in winter and early spring with the help of a strong El Niño.

Wild weather to grip Southwest, Four Corners

After a few years of drought conditions for the Four Corners region, heavy rain can settle in this fall leading to significant flooding and mudslide events through November.

Drought conditions have fueled wildfires over the past few years, resulting in unrecovered burn scar areas.

"When you put a lot of rain on top of that, you're going to get a lot of mudslides and you're going to get a lot of flooding a lot easier. That's the problem they're going to face this season," Pastelok said.

By November, temperatures will drop well below normal across the Southwest, leading to a very active, wet and snowy season, typical of an El Niño pattern.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – More relatively modest growth took place on the Jerusalem fire overnight and containment continued to increase, however fire officials have raised concerns due to a forecast of increasing winds overnight Friday and into Saturday.

The fire, burning since Sunday in the Jerusalem Valley area northeast of Middletown, reached 24,555 acres and 52-percent containment on Friday morning, according to Cal Fire.

The fire is burning not just in Lake County but in Napa and Yolo counties as well, with one edge of the fire moving closer – but not into – the border of Colusa County, according to the latest fire map.

Cal Fire said the Jerusalem fire is burning in dense vegetation within the fire perimeter, which is creating significant amounts of smoke and heat, and spot fires remain a threat to the fire control lines.

Cal Fire spokesman Daniel Berlant said most of the fire's activity on Thursday was within the perimeter.

The weekend weather is a concern for fire officials due to the forecast of hot, dry conditions with an increase in temperatures into the upper 90s and single digit relative humidity. Officials said this week's cooler conditions have aided the firefighting effort.

Berlant said winds are expected to increase on Friday night, when 17 mile per hour winds are forecast.

In the early morning hours of Saturday, peaking at around 4 a.m., wind speeds are expected to increase up to 29 miles per hour in the fire area, Berlant said.

“That's really going to test the line that firefighters have made around the fire,” Berlant said, explaining that fire typically drops overnight in the cooler conditions.

Efforts remain focused on the fire's southern and eastern flanks of the fire, where firefighters are working to construct the fire line that ultimately will control the fire while defending structures, Cal Fire said.

Cal Fire said there has been no damage to any of the 50 threatened structures in the fire area, but mandatory and advisory evacuations remain in place for areas listed here: http://cdfdata.fire.ca.gov/incidents/incidents_details_info?incident_id=1193 .

The Red Cross evacuation center at Kelseyville High School remains open, officials said.

Continuing road closures include Jerusalem Valley Road at Spruce Grove Road, Morgan Valley Road from Reiff Road southeast to the Napa County line, Reiff Road from Morgan Valley east to the Yolo County line and Berryessa Knoxville Road closed from Lake Berryessa north.

The agency also reported that there have been no injuries.

Resources assigned on Friday included 2,214 personnel, 164 engines, 62 hand crews, 30 dozers, 21 water tenders, 15 helicopters and four air tankers, Cal Fire said.

The Jerusalem fire is expected to be fully contained on Monday, according to Cal Fire's latest report.

Nearby on the Rocky fire, Cal Fire's size estimate remained at 69,438 acres, with containment also still at 95 percent. Cal Fire has estimated it will have the incident fully contained – after two and a half weeks – on Saturday.

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. – Lake County CAN! and the Lake County Fair are partnering this summer to assist in the response to the impacts local residents have suffered from the Rocky and Jerusalem wildland fires.

For several years Lake County CAN! has sponsored food drives around the county to stock food pantries in each community around Clear Lake.

They have done this because of the crippling poverty and food insecurity of so many Lake County residents: 23 percent of Lake County residents are now living in poverty; that is almost one in four.

The numbers are even worse for children: 33 percent, or one in three children in Lake County, are living in outright poverty while another 39 percent are so close they are food insecure. A total of 72 percent of the county's children qualify for free lunches when school is in session.

The Rocky and Jerusalem Fires have taxed the county's support systems even further, and Lake County CAN! and its partners are stepping up to help.

Through many generous donations – such as the recent $3,000 Grocery Outlet donation to the United Christian Parish food pantry – the north county food pantries are meeting the needs as presented.

Now, in the wake of the fires, the Lake County CAN! is turning its attention south.

This year the priority of the group's food drive at the Lake County Fair is to stock the food pantries in the fire impact areas first.

In past years there has been a two-hour window to donate food in exchange for free entry.

This year, there will be no free entry but you can donate food during the entire fair.

On the Monday following the fair Lake County CAN! volunteers will come and sort the food and deliver it directly to the food pantries in the fire impacted areas.

If Lake County is so generous that the south country pantries are overstocked, Lake County CAN! Is prepared to distribute the food to additional pantries around the lake, such as the Lucerne Alpine Senior Center, Kelseyville Presbyterian and Kelseyville United Methodist Church pantry, and United Christian Parish in Lakeport.

Here is how you can help: Bring your nonperishable food items to the Lake County Fair from Thursday, Sept. 3, to Sunday, Sept. 6, at any time the fair is open.

Items they are asking for particularly include peanut butter and jelly, Bisquick and pancake mix, canned tuna and chicken, and any canned soups or stews.

Lake County CAN! believes that, by neighbors helping neighbors, the community can overcome the impacts of the fires and the county's poverty.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake and Mendocino counties are sponsoring the second annual Lake and Mendocino Veterans Stand Down/Resource Fair next month.

The stand down will take place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 9, and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 10, at the American Legion Post 437, located at 14770 Austin Road in Clearlake.

Vietnam veterans in San Diego introduced the stand down concept in 1988 as a way to help veterans in need.

Since then, similar free stand down events have been held regularly in cities all over the nation to provide food, clothing, services and referrals to homeless and at-risk veterans.

The inaugural Lake County stand down event held last year, also at the Clearlake American Legion Post 437, hosted hundreds of veterans and offered a variety of services and information from more than 30 agencies and organizations, as Lake County News has reported.

This year's stand down will offer access to on-site medical and dental attention, enrollment in health care and supplemental nutrition programs, officials said.

Organizers are again seeking volunteers to assist with the event.

Volunteers will assist in capacities including helping to organize supplies, passing out clothing or toiletry items, and preparing food.

If you would like to volunteer to assist with this event, contact Frank Parker, UVC President 707-274-9512 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , or Alice Watkins at the Mendocino County Veterans Services Office, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 707-463-4226.

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – Cal Fire investigators said Friday they have determined the cause of last month's Wragg fire that burned in Napa and Solano counties.

The agency's investigators concluded the wildfire was the result of a vehicle exhaust contacting dry grass, which then ignited the surrounding brush and the vehicle as well.

The Wragg Fire was reported at 2:24 p.m. Wednesday, July 22, off of Highway 128 near Wragg Canyon Road and the Lake Berryessa Dam.

The fire burned through heavy brush and steep rugged terrain, eventually ending 4 miles west of the city of Winters and just north of Mix Canyon Road near Vacaville, Cal Fire said.

During initial operations a Cal Fire helicopter was used for the emergency rescue of multiple hikers in the Cold Canyon area. One hiker suffered a heat related illness and was transported to a local hospital by ground ambulance.

The fire burned 8,051 acres, destroyed two outbuildings, and damaged four outbuildings and one residence.  The Wragg fire was fully contained on Aug. 5, according to Cal Fire. 

“With the critical fire conditions we are seeing this year combined with 4 years of drought, we are asking the public to be extra cautious in not sparking a wildfire,” said Cal Fire Unit Chief Scott Upton.  “With hunting season and other outdoor activities at their peak it is imperative that we remain aware of how easily dry grass can ignite a wildfire with devastating consequences.”

With drought conditions, Cal Fire continues to urge the public to be careful outdoors. Pulling over in dry grass can easily ignite a wildfire.

Learn more tips on how to operate and maintain your vehicle safely at www.ReadyForWildfire.org or on the infographic below.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The steady, intense work on the lines of the Jerusalem fire yielded important gains for firefighters on Thursday, who both raised containment and kept the fire from taking another large jump in acreage.

By Thursday night, Cal Fire reported the blaze had burned 24,000 acres, with containment rising to 50 percent.

That change in size accounted for a 500-acre increase of the fire since Thursday morning, the smallest gain over the course of a day that has been reported since the fire started Aug. 9 in the Jerusalem Valley northeast of Middletown, later moving into Napa and Yolo counties.

That smaller acreage increase is just one of many victories firefighters have won on the incident to date – chief among them, ensuring no structures have been destroyed or burned, and no one has been injured.

However, the incident is far from over, and mandatory and advisory evacuations remain in place for nearby homes, with a Red Cross evacuation center open at Kelseyville High School and assistance with animal evacuation offered through the Lake Evacuation and Protection group.

Evacuation and shelter information is available at http://cdfdata.fire.ca.gov/incidents/incidents_details_info?incident_id=1193 .

Committed resources on the incident as of Thursday night included 2,214 firefighting personnel, 164 engines, 62 hand crews, 30 dozers, 21 water tenders, 15 helicopters and four air tankers, Cal Fire said.

The Thursday gain in containing more area on the Jerusalem fire puts it on target for Cal Fire's estimated full containment date of Aug. 17.

On the nearby Rocky fire, no change in acreage or containment were reported by Thursday night.

Cal Fire's last update on the fire, given on Thursday morning, was for 69,438 acres and 95-percent containment, with full containment expected to be reached on Saturday.

Supervisor Jim Comstock gave updates on the fires to community members who attended the Middletown Area Town Hall's regular meeting on Thursday evening.

Comstock said the winds – which picked up into Thursday night – were blowing the fire away from communities and out into very remote, rugged terrain.

However, he cautioned of the incident, “It is not going to end soon.”

He said areas in the back country – including Petticoat, Dollar and Bishop mountains – “burned in rapid succession” and now are “burned slick,” looking like barren moonscapes.

Cal Fire and Lake County Sheriff's Office investigators are investigating the possible causes, Comstock said.

He said he remained cautiously optimistic regarding weather conditions, noting the wind direction could change over the weekend.

Beyond the Rocky and Jerusalem incidents, Comstock reminded community members that a long fire season still stretches ahead.

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.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – Dig out those blue suede shoes and poodle skirts, hang those dice in your car window and get ready for the Hot August Nites Car Show & Concert this weekend.

The Lakeport Senior Center is hosting its third annual fundraiser event from 4 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 15, at Lakeport’s Library Park on Park Street.

There is something for everyone at the event, said center Director Jonathan Crooks.

“Meet your friends, bring your family, enjoy the beauty of Library Park, listen to great music, dance, sing, eat great food, maybe win a raffle prize – what a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon and evening,” Crooks said.

Starting at 4 p.m. in the park there will be food and drink vendors offering choices ranging from hot dogs, hamburgers and pulled pork sandwiches to ice cream, with other vendors selling jewelry, crafts, clothing and 1950s memorabilia.

Come early to see beautiful cars, trucks and motorcycles “cruise the main” before they set up in front of Library Park for the Car Show on Park Street at 5 p.m.

Vehicles anticipated to be on display include a 1912 Ford C-Cab, 1931 Chevy Roadster, 1973 Chevy Wagon, 1966 Ford Mustang, 1936 Ford Phaeton, 1969 Camaro, plus many more.

A free concert by the LC Diamonds will start at 6 p.m.

There also will be many raffle prizes – courtesy passes to Cinema 5, Snoopy’s Ice Rink in Santa Rosa, Lakeport Speedway, Schwinn three-wheel bike donated by John Puccetti of Affordable Travel, a Coleman portable gas barbecue donated by Judie and Al Reynolds, an anti-gravity lounge chair, a complete ladies 1950s costume and a 1950s painted tool box donated by a “mystery shopper.”

A 1950s costume contest for both children and adults will be held, with gifts cards donated for the winners from McDonalds-Lakeport and Cheese’s Main Street Pizza.

Proceeds will benefit the center in serving the community's many seniors as well as upgrading much-needed equipment.

For more information contact the center at 707-263-4218, and follow it on Facebook.