LAKEPORT, Calif. – Two mosquito samples and two sentinel chickens in Lake County tested positive for West Nile virus this week.

This year, 10 mosquito samples, two dead birds, and two sentinel chickens have tested positive for West Nile virus in Lake County, according to the Lake County Vector Control District.

West Nile virus activity has been detected in Clearlake, Clearlake Oaks, Lower Lake, Kelseyville, Middletown and Upper Lake this year, officials said.

Vector Control said no human cases of West Nile virus illness have been reported in Lake County in 2015.
 
“We’re finding more mosquitoes in backyard swimming pools this year,” said Jamesina Scott, Ph.D., district manager and research director of the Lake County Vector Control District. “With the drought, people have stopped maintaining their swimming pools to conserve water, and when a pool is not chlorinated and filtered it can produce thousands of mosquitoes every day. Those mosquitoes are the vectors of West Nile virus and fly up to five miles away.”

Scott recommends that residents with out-of-service pools and spas contact the district for free mosquito-eating fish.

The Lake County Vector Control District advises the public to take the following steps:

– Drain or dump any standing water that may produce mosquitoes.
– Defend yourself by using an effective insect repellent that contains Picaridin, IR3535, Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus, or DEET.
– Dress protectively when outside, and make sure screens on doors and windows are in good condition.
– Contact the district for any additional help controlling mosquitoes around your home.

“It may be hard to think about preventing mosquito bites when the wildfire threat takes center stage,” said Lake County Health Officer, Dr. Karen Tait. “However, it is more important than ever to take steps to prevent West Nile Virus during this emergency. It would be ironic to get through the wildfire, only to come down with this avoidable infection.”

While less than 1 percent of individuals (about 1 in 150 people) infected with West Nile virus will develop severe illness from West Nile virus infection, the disease can cause symptoms that can last for several weeks, and neurologic effects can be permanent. In some individuals, the infection can be fatal.

People over age 50 and diabetics are at risk for the more severe forms of the disease.

The most recent confirmed case of human West Nile virus infection in Lake County was in 2014, health officials reported.

Residents may contact the Lake County Vector Control District to report neglected pools, request service for mosquito problems, or to get mosquitofish at 707-263-4770 or fill out a service request online at www.lcvcd.org .

For more information about West Nile virus, visit http://www.westnile.ca.gov/ .

Information about mosquito repellents can be found on the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Web site at http://www.cdc.gov/westnile/faq/repellent.html .

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – To consolidate resources, the Health and Welfare Branch of the Lake County Emergency Operations Center closed the Upper Lake Rocky fire evacuation shelter at 4:30 p.m. Thursday.

The Community Disaster Response Team of Sebastopol operated the shelter site – which was located at Upper Lake Middle School – for Rocky fire evacuees for 48 hours with no evacuees utilizing the shelter, officials reported.

Shelter capacity remains available at the American Red Cross shelters at Middletown High School, telephone 415-307-4503, and Kelseyville High School, telephone 707-331-6652.

The Lake County Emergency Operations Center thanked the Community Disaster Response Team for the outstanding service they have made available to residents of Lake County affected by the Rocky fire.

LOWER LAKE, Calif. – The Konocti Unified School District and the Middletown Unified School District reported this week that, due to the Rocky fire, the start of school will be delayed.

School in the Konocti Unified School District had been set to start on Wednesday, Aug. 12, but now will start on Monday, Aug. 17, according to District Superintendent Donna Becnel.

In Middletown, new Superintendent Catherine Stone said all activities preceding the start of school as well as the school start date will take place one week later than originally planned, with the new school opening date set for Tuesday, Aug. 18.

The news came at about the same time as Cal Fire pushed its estimate on the fire's full containment back from Aug. 10 to Aug. 13.

Konocti Unified School District's schools include Burns Valley School, East Lake School, Lower Lake Elementary, Pomo School, Lewis School, Highlands Academy, Carlé Continuation High School, Konocti Education Center and Lower Lake High School.

In a message to parents and students, Becnel said the district has been in close communication with the Lake County Office of Emergency Services since Friday, offering support and resources and continuing to be on standby.

Becnel noted that the community has been on high alert since the fire started east of Lower Lake on July 29.

“Many of our students, staff and Konocti families have been under voluntary or mandatory evacuation and some will not have a home to return to,” she said. “We are hoping that many of the evacuation orders will be lifted sometime next week.”

Becnel said that in order to provide some transition time and minimize disruption to the school schedules, the first day of school was pushed back five days to Aug. 17.

“Next week we will begin working with the evacuation shelters to assure transition and support for those students who continue to be displaced at the start of school,” she said.

Becnel said transportation decisions will be made based on where students are located, with school attendance routes expected to be finalized by Friday, Aug. 14.

“We appreciate everyone’s understanding during this time as we work to accommodate the needs of our students, staff and families,” Becnel said.

The delays in the Middletown district will impact Middletown High School, Middletown Middle School, Minnie Cannon, Coyote Valley Elementary and Cobb Mountain Elementary.

Stone said that Middletown High School and Middletown Middle School currently are being used as evacuation centers and as the Red Cross Command Center.

“It is possible that some of our other schools will also be used as evacuation centers. Because of this, we made the decision to delay the start of school,” Stone said in a message to parents and students.

Due to the change in schedule, Middletown High School's welcome back for 10th, 11th and 12th graders will be held beginning at 8 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 11, with the freshman welcome event to take place at 6 p.m. that same day.

Middletown Middle School's welcome event for seventh graders will be held at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 12, and for eighth graders at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 13.

Minnie Cannon's ribbon cutting and spaghetti feed will take place at 5 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 13, with the Cobb and Coyote Valley spaghetti feeds set for 5 p.m. Friday, Aug. 14.

The change in the start date will push the end of school in 2016 back to June 6, the district reported.

“We are sorry for any inconvenience this may cause, but we know you understand that these are extraordinary circumstances,” Stone said in her message to the district's families.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Lake County Office of Education has issued a rundown of start dates for Lake County schools as the new school year gets set to begin.

The agency said that the Rocky fire is causing delays for only two districts Konocti Unified and Middletown Unified, as Lake County News has reported.

Both of those districts have had facilities used as evacuation centers, with Middletown High School and Middletown Middle School currently being used as evacuation centers and as the Red Cross Command Center, according to Superintendent Catherine Stone.

Konocti Unified is starting on Monday, Aug. 17, with Middletown Unified starting the next day, Tuesday, Aug. 18.

The rest of the districts will start school on time, the County Office of Education said.

First days of school for the remaining districts are as follows, listed in chronological order:

– Lucerne Unified School District: Wednesday, Aug. 12;
– Upper Lake High School District: Wednesday, Aug. 12;
– Upper Lake Union Elementary School District: Wednesday, Aug. 12;
– Lakeport Unified School District: Thursday, Aug. 13.
– Kelseyville Unified School District: Tuesday, Sept. 8.

Specific questions may be directed to the district phone number below:

– Kelseyville Unified School District: 707-279-1511.
– Konocti Unified School District: 707-994-6475.
– Lakeport Unified School District: 707-262-3000.
– Lucerne Unified School District: 707-274-5578.
– Middletown Unified School District: 707-987-4100.
– Upper Lake High School District: 707-275-2655.
– Upper Lake Union Elementary: 707-275-2357.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The National Weather Service in Sacramento on Thursday afternoon issued a red flag warning due to predictions of thunderstorms over the Rocky fire area and other parts of Northern California.

The urgent fire weather message, which goes into effect at 8 p.m. Thursday and continues until 11 a.m. Friday, covers the southern half of Lake County and several neighboring counties in the Sacramento Valley as well as along the coast.

A red flag warning means that critical fire weather conditions are either occurring now or will occur shortly, the National Weather Service said.

The National Weather Service said a low pressure system is moving eastward over the region and will bring isolated and scattered dry thunderstorms with little rainfall to much of interior Northern California from Thursday evening into Friday morning.

“A combination of strong winds, low relative humidity and warm temperatures will create explosive fire growth potential,” according to the message.

The red flag warning for the Rocky fire area was broadcast to firefighters on Thursday afternoon.

Radio reports from the Rocky fire indicated firefighters were gearing up for the potential for thunderstorms, and preparing to move teams off exposed areas if necessary.

The specific forecast for the Rocky fire area in Lake County calls for a 20-percent chance of showers and thunderstorms on Thursday night, with a low of about 64 degrees and a west wind of between 5 and 7 miles per hour.

New rainfall amounts are expected to be less than a tenth of an inch unless thunderstorms occur.

On Friday morning, the 20-percent chance of showers and thunderstorms is forecast to continue until about 11 a.m., after which sunny conditions with a high of 89 degrees are predicted.

A south southwest wind of 5 to 7 miles per hour is anticipated on Friday evening, with Friday night being partly cloudy.

Conditions through the weekend and into early next week are expected to be mostly clear, with daytime highs up to around 90 degrees and nighttime temperatures in the high 50s, the National Weather Service said.

The Rocky fire had burned 69,600 acres and was 40-percent contained as of Cal Fire's last acreage estimate on Thursday morning. An acreage update is expected Thursday night.

Full containment on the fire is expected on Aug. 13.

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. – As the Mendocino National Forest nears containment on the three fires from last weekend’s lightning, firefighters are preparing for storms predicted for the next several days.

Forest spokeswoman Tamara Schmidt said firefighters are continuing to make headway on the Etsel, Boardman and Deer fires.

The Etsel fire, burning in the Yuki Wilderness, was expected to be contained as early as Wednesday night. It has burned 32 acres so far and was 85-percent contained late Wednesday afternoon, Schmidt said.

The Boardman fire has burned approximately 95 acres and is 40-percent contained, Schmidt said.

The Deer fire, burning southeast of Lake Pillsbury, has burned approximately 100 acres and is 40-percent contained, with three structures still threatened, according to Schmidt.

She said two engine crews and one Type 1 hand crew have been working on the fire with the help of various air resources.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – With no new acreage increase on the Rocky fire and a steady increase in containment, officials began to allow some evacuees to go home on Thursday, with more displaced residents to be allowed home Friday and area highways to reopen.

Cal Fire's Thursday evening report on the fire said acreage remained at 69,600, with containment up to 45 percent. Full containment is expected on Aug. 13.

On Thursday, the Rocky fire's eighth day, Gov. Jerry Brown visited with officials at the Cowboy Camp Trailhead in Colusa County to get an update on the efforts to fully contain the fire, the largest now burning in California.

There were no reports of any additional structures burned on Thursday, with the total count remaining at 96 structures destroyed – 43 residences and 53 outbuildings – and eight structures damaged.

Improving conditions led officials to report on Thursday night that Highway 20 and Highway 16 are expected to reopen on Friday.

State Sen. Mike McGuire told Lake County News following his Thursday night town hall meeting that Highway 20 was expected to open on Friday at 10 a.m.

On Thursday morning the Lake County Sheriff's Office began its first repopulation of some areas near Lower Lake, as Lake County News has reported.

Those specific areas included Highway 29 to west of the Jerusalem Road and Jerusalem Grade Road intersection, Morgan Valley Road to and including Broken S Ranch Drive, east of Bonham Road, Broken S Ranch Drive, Staehle Lane, Spruce Grove Road, Cantwell Ranch Road, Ridge Road, Lake Ridge Road, North Road, Pine Oak Lane, Noble Ranch Road, Circle L Ranch Drive, Black Bass Pass, Jerusalem Grade to west Jerusalem Road, June Bug Drive, Jerusalem Valley Road, Canyon Road, Quarterhorse Lane, Daly Place, Hale Street, Clayton Creek Road, Ellen Springs Road, Honey Do Ranch Road, Rancho Sendero Way, Diamond Ridge Road and Rocky Trail.

Cal Fire announced on Thursday evening that the second phase of repopulation would begin Friday morning for areas including Spring Valley.

Beginning at 10 a.m. Friday, residents can return to Paradise Canyon, New Long Valley Road, Old Long Valley Road, Salt Canyon, Indian Hill Road, Flaming Hills Lane, Red Rock Road, Red Rock Court, Round Mountain Road, Fern Way, Juniper Way, Holly Way, Golden Red Way, Shasta Road, Cougar Road, Jeep Trail, Smith Lane, Pueblo Trail, Quail Trail, Meadow Creek Road, Cache Creek Road, Wolf Creek Road, Spring Valley Road, Riverview Road, Rocky Ridge, Chalk Mountain Road, Cache Creek Winery, Elm Way, Dogwood, Cedar, Blue Berry, Acacia Way, Acacia Street, Doe Trail, Madrone Way, Peach Way, Quince Way, Redwood Way, Sequoia Way, Tamarack Way, Weeping Willow Way, Yucca Way, Coyote Way, Elk Way and Fox Way.

However, the Double Eagle Ranch and some areas along Highway 20 are remaining under mandatory evacuation, Cal Fire spokesman Dominic Polito said Thursday night.

The full list of remaining mandatory evacuation areas can be found at http://cdfdata.fire.ca.gov/incidents/incidents_details_info?incident_id=1161 .

Authorities are working to make sure the evacuated areas are safe for residents in order to accommodate them going home in the quickest, safest way possible. County road crews are clearing roadways, while utility workers are checking trees and power lines.

Residents returning to their homes are told to contact Pacific Gas and Electric immediately if they see electrical wires on the ground. Trees and poles with deep charring, particularly if still smoking, should be considered hazardous.

Cal Fire said conditions on the fire lines are being aided by good humidity recovery, which has contributed to diminished fire activity. Pockets of isolated intense heat still remain near the containment lines.

“There's a few hot spots and there's some interior flare ups that they've been putting in crews to handle,” Polito said Thursday night.

The National Weather Service issued a red flag warning for the fire area and a large portion of Northern California on Thursday due to an overnight and morning forecast that includes thunderstorms and little rain.

However, as of shortly before 9:30 p.m. Thursday, the weather was not causing issues, and conditions were looking “really good,” Polito said.

The number of total fire personnel assigned rolled back slightly by Thursday evening, with 3,551 firefighters, 309 engines, 94 fire crews, 40 water tenders, 36 bulldozers, 17 helicopters and four air tankers, according to Cal Fire.

The Lake County Quality Management District reported that weather forecasts indicate degrading conditions which will allow smoke impacts in the Lake County air basin through Friday.

The district said most of Lake County experienced “moderate” air quality intermittently during the late morning and early afternoon on Thursday, with “moderate” to “unhealthy” air quality in areas impacted by smoke.

Similar conditions are expected Friday, when east by southeast winds are forecast, which could bring more smoke into the basin. Slight variations in the wind direction can result in significant smoke impacts, the district 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 – On Thursday morning Gov. Jerry Brown joined fire and emergency officials who are fighting the Rocky fire for a briefing on efforts to contain the blaze, which has already destroyed dozens of homes, forced the evacuation of thousands of residents and scorched nearly 70,000 acres in Colusa, Lake and Yolo counties.

“I think this is really a real wake-up call because of the way this fire performed,” said Gov. Brown. “We’re going to get ready – we have resources, we’ll need more, but you can be sure that the California firefighting personnel and all their different departments are ready and we’re going to do everything we possibly can.”

On Friday, Governor Brown declared a state of emergency in California in response to wildfires burning across the state.

On Wednesday, at the request of Cal Fire, the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services tasked the California National Guard to deploy 367 more soldiers to help cut fire breaks in vegetation and offer other vital support to firefighters battling the wildfires.

The National Guard also will be building a temporary military bridge across Cache Creek at Highway 16, near the site of the governor's briefing, which will help bring supplies and personnel into the area more rapidly.

After Wednesday's National Guard deployment, there are now approximately 600 California National Guard troops actively working with nearly 11,000 firefighters battling 19 active wildfires across the state.

The Rocky fire alone has already destroyed 43 homes and 53 structures and outbuildings, officials reported.

As of Thursday morning, it had burned 69,600 acres and was 40-percent contained, with more than 3,600 firefighters assigned to the incident.

The California Fish and Game Commission voted 3-2 on Wednesday to ban bobcat trapping statewide.

Commission President Jack Baylis and Commissioners Anthony Williams and Eric Sklar voted in favor of a statewide ban.

Commission Vice President Jim Kellogg and Commissioner Jacqueline Hostler-Carmesin voted against it.

The Wednesday decision completely bans bobcat trapping in California, with the exception of depredation trapping.

The ban will become effective after approval by the state Office of Administrative Law and submission to the Secretary of State's Office.

The regulations may be effective before the start of the 2015-16 bobcat trapping season.

NICE, Calif. – Firefighters are battling a wildland blaze near Nice that is reported to be burning at least one structure and threatening others.

The fire in the area of Pyle Road and Highway 20 was first reported just before 6:25 p.m. Thursday, according to reports from the scene.

Northshore Fire and Cal Fire both sent quick responses to the fire, with the latter pulling some resources from the Rocky fire, according to radio reports.

The first units on scene found the fire quickly moving uphill and threatening several structures, scanner reports indicated.

Incident command reported that the fire was about three acres, with three structures in its path and at least one of them on fire.

Northshore Fire and Cal Fire firefighters, a hot shot crew, resources from Mendocino County, Lakeport Fire, strike teams from the Rocky fire, teams from the Mendocino National Forest, dozers and crews, air tankers and helicopters were responding to the scene, officials said.

Firefighters made immediate requests for law enforcement to close down nearby Levinson Road above the fire, and for Pacific Gas and Electric to respond, radio reports indicated.

At about 6:50 p.m. incident command reported that structures were still threatened but the forward spread of the fire into the wildland had been stopped.

One structure was said to still be burning just before 7 p.m., according to reports from the scene.

The fire was reported to be contained later in the evening. An exact cause was not yet known on Thursday night, according to fire officials.

Additional reports will be posted as they become 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.

LOWER LAKE, Calif. – In light of the Rocky fire, the annual “Quilt and Fiber Art Exhibition” at Lower Lake Historic Schoolhouse Museum has been postponed.

The show was scheduled to open this weekend in Weaver Auditorium; however, in response to the fire, the show will now open with an artists' reception on Aug. 15. It will run through Sept. 5.
 
“In consideration of the Rocky fire conditions in Lake County, the show and reception dates have been changed for the annual 'Quilt and Fiber Art Exhibition' at the Lower Lake Schoolhouse Museum,” Sheila O'Hara, exhibition coordinator, said. “The museum is now closed and will reopen on Wednesday, Aug. 12.”

The artists' reception will be held from noon to 2 p.m. on Aug. 15.

Featured artists in this year's exhibition include O'Hara and her students. Sherry Harris and her students, as well as other fiber artists from throughout Lake County also will be participating.

Textiles from Guatemala and Peru, antique quilts and an 1807 spinning wheel will also be on display, according to O'Hara.

“Textile artists will discuss their work and there will be weaving and spinning demonstrations,” O'Hara said.

The Lower Lake Historic Schoolhouse Museum is located at 16435 Main St.

Regular hours of operation are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday.

For more information, contact Curator Tony Pierucci at 707-995-3565 or email him at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Email reporter Denise Rockenstein at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Firefighters made more steady gains on the Rocky fire on Wednesday, despite an uptick in wind activity and hotter temperatures.

During the course of its seventh day the fire grew to 69,600 acres, Cal Fire said in an early Wednesday evening report, a growth of approximately 2,600 acres since Tuesday night.

At the same time, containment rose to 30 percent, thanks to the force of nearly 3,500 firefighters – reported to be coming not just from around California but from across the United States – assigned the task of bringing the Rocky fire under control.

Gov. Jerry Brown is set to visit with fire and emergency officials on Thursday to get a briefing on the efforts to contain the blaze, which began on the afternoon of July 29 east of Lower Lake.

Since then it has burned close to Clearlake and areas east of Clearlake Oaks, and crossed into Colusa and Yolo counties, triggering mandatory evacuations or evacuation advisories.

Its most dramatic growth occurred during a five-hour period on Saturday, during which it scorched 22,000 acres.

Last week, Brown declared a state of emergency in California due to the numerous wildland fires – including the Rocky – burning across the state, as Lake County News has reported.

Cal Fire's latest count of structures that the Rocky fire has destroyed totals 96, with 43 residences and 53 outbuildings burned, and eight other structures damaged.

Cal fire said approximately 6,959 structures remain threatened, with all evacuation orders and advisories continuing to remain in place and shelters open at Kelseyville and Middletown high schools, and Upper Lake Middle School.

An animal evacuation center remains open at Lake County Social Services, 15975 Anderson Ranch Parkway in Lower Lake.

Highway 20 from the junction with Highway 53 to Williams in Colusa County remains closed, said Cal Fire, as does Highway 16 from Highway 20 in Colusa County to County Road 41 in Yolo County.

A host of 43 helicopters and 17 air tankers worked the fire on Wednesday, with air forces continuing to work the fire aggressively into Wednesday evening.

In addition to planes and helicopters, other resources committed on Wednesday included 3,483 personnel, 323 engines, 89 hand crews, 63 dozers and 43 water tenders, according to Cal Fire.

Cal Fire spokesman Rick Frawley said the weather conditions, overall, had been favorable for firefighters on Wednesday, with the fire not moving much.

“It's been relatively static,” he said, noting that the higher humidity was beneficial, with the wind behavior not appearing to offer any special challenges.

Crews on Wednesday concentrated efforts on both the northwest corner of the fire, on the portion north of Highway 20, and did support work on the southeast corner in the Jerusalem Grade area, Frawley said.

He said firefighters have been shoring up existing containment lines and working to extend containment on other sections of the fire.

“Once we get the line in place we want to reinforce it,” Frawley said, with firefighters incrementally working around the fire's perimeter.

Overall on Wednesday, “Our work efforts were very productive,” Frawley said.

Cal Fire has pushed back the date for when it's estimating full containment will be reached by three days – to Aug. 13.

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.