LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – State assistance will once again be made available for fire cleanup in Lake County.

On Tuesday, the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, state Sen. Mike McGuire and Assemblyman Bill Dodd announced that state funding will be provided under the California Disaster Assistance Act to fund debris cleanup and removal in the neighborhoods of the Clayton fire impact zone similar to what occurred following last year’s Valley fire.

The Clayton fire, the fourth devastating wildfire to hit Lake County in the last 14 months, burned nearly 4,000 acres and destroyed 299 structures, including 203 homes and eight commercial buildings.

Leading into Tuesday's announcement, assessments were completed over the last several weeks by the Office of Emergency Services, the State Department of Toxic Substance Control and local authorities in the impacted Lower Lake neighborhoods.

State-sanctioned debris removal teams will be advancing into Lake County in the next few weeks, officials said.

Sen. McGuire made it a priority – despite the fact the Clayton fire won’t likely be declared a federal disaster – to move assistance from the state for debris removal and cleanup into Lake County.

This desperately needed assistance will ensure the health and safety of local residents living near or in the areas devastated by the Clayton fire in the years to come.

“A staggering 22 percent of Lake County’s total land mass burned over the past 14 months, from the Rocky, Jerusalem, Valley and now the Clayton Fire,” Sen. McGuire said. “Lake County is already suffering from these devastating events and we are committed to working day and night to help the community recover and rebuild stronger than ever. Both CalOES and CalRecycle did amazing work after the Valley fire in Lake County – moving out millions of pounds of debris – and we are grateful to partner with them again to assist in Lower Lake.”

CalRecycle – the state agency responsible for debris cleanup and removal – will be coming in to begin work in the Lower Lake area in the coming weeks. Currently, the State Department of Toxic Substances Control is in the Lower Lake working remediation.

After the Valley fire, CalRecycle contracted debris removal crews to clear residential properties in record time.

With the damage left by the Clayton fire, CalRecycle will once again manage the debris removal and site cleanups.

“This is a huge benefit for our community – CalRecycle will be able to come in and remove the debris in a timely manner and that’s what we really need right now in order to expedite the rebuilding process,” Lake County Supervisor Rob Brown said. “We are grateful for the unwavering advocacy of Sen. McGuire and Assemblymember Dodd to get this agreement approved.”

Lake County officially requested assistance from the state for debris cleanup, which is estimated to cost more than $3 million in the Clayton fire impact zone.

KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – The Kelseyville Unified School District is forming a bond oversight committee for Measure U and is inviting community members to apply.

District voters approved Measure U, a $24 million general obligation bond to improve and upgrade school facilities, on June 7. The vote was 61.7 percent to 38.3 percent in favor of the bond.

Some of the projects that have been identified so far for bond funding include repair and replacement of leaking roofs, deteriorating plumbing systems, and outdated heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems; updating inadequate electrical systems; and improving student access to computers and modern technology.

The district's Citizen's Bond Oversight Committee will review expenditures from construction activity associated with Measure U, and be responsible for ensuring that bond revenues are used properly and for informing the public of bond expenditures.

The district board invites all interested community members at least 18 years of age and living within the geographic boundary of the Kelseyville Unified School District to apply for service on the Bond Oversight Committee.

The bond oversight committee must have at least seven members. In addition to two members of the community at large, there must be at least one member from each of the following groups:

• One member who is active in a business organization representing the business community located within the school district.
• One member who is active in a senior citizen's organization.
• One member who is the parent or guardian of a child enrolled in the school district.
• One member who is the parent or guardian of a child enrolled in the school district and is active in a parent-teacher organization.
• One member who is active in a bona-fide taxpayer's organization.

The Bond Oversight Committee may not include any employee or official of the school district or any vendor, contractor or consultant of the school district.

Applications may be downloaded from the district’s Web site at www.kvusd.org or may be obtained at the Kelseyville Unified School District Office located at 4410 Konocti Road.

Applicants must have all application forms completed and given to Superintendent Dave McQueen at the Kelseyville Unified District by 4 p.m. Sept. 30.

Qualified applicants will be interviewed and chosen by the Kelseyville Unified School District Board of Trustees on Oct. 4.

If you have any questions, need more information or help in obtaining an application, call the Kelseyville Unified School District Office at 707-279-1511.

MENDOCINO NATIONAL FOREST, Calif. – Firefighters are working to contain a small wildland fire that began on Mendocino National Forest lands on Monday.

The Alder fire was first reported just after 7 a.m. Monday, according to Punky Moore, the forest's public affairs officer.

Moore said the fire is approximately 40 miles northwest of Stonyford, off County Road 311 near Logan Basin.

On Monday night, the Alder fire was lined and estimated at five acres, Moore said.

She said approximately 60 personnel are assigned to the fire, including two crews, engines, water tenders, fuels, patrols, a dozer and a helicopter. Resources are remaining on scene working to strengthen fire lines.

The cause of the fire is under investigation, Moore said.

Moore said there are no forest closures associated with the incident.

However, she advised travelers to drive with caution and be alert to firefighters and response equipment in this area. 

KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – Authorities are investigating the cause of an early morning fire that destroyed a Kelseyville auto shop.

The fire was first reported just before 10:45 p.m. Monday at the shop in the 3500 block of Big Valley Road.

Kelseyville Fire Chief Joe Huggins said that the fire originally was dispatched as being located at Mike's Auto.

However, Huggins said that the fire actually occurred in an adjacent building that was part of another business, the name of which he did not know.

“They were obviously doing body work and repair,” as well as paint work, said Huggins.

Huggins said the initial report stated that fire and smoke were seen from the roof. When he got there, he said the fiberglass skylight had burned out. “The fire was coming from that, from the inside out.”

Kelseyville Fire had three engines, a water tender, nine firefighters plus Huggins on scene, while Lakeport Fire sent a truck and its chief, plus four firefighters. Another six firefighters, a battalion chief and two engines came from Cal Fire's Kelsey-Cobb station, Huggins said.

The building was a complete loss, Huggins said.

He estimated that the fire was contained by about midnight, but fire units remained on scene for another two hours for mop up and overhaul.

Huggins said the fire's cause is under investigation.

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. – A Lucerne man who led sheriff's deputies on a high speed chase earlier this month remains in custody on charges that include causing serious bodily injury to passengers in his vehicle.

Ruben Flores, 25, was arrested by the sheriff's task force on the afternoon of Sept. 9, according to the Lake County Sheriff's Office.

Flores had led Lake County Sheriff's deputies on a high speed chase in and around Upper Lake at around 2:30 a.m. that day, as Lake County News has reported.

Lt. Steve Brooks said the pursuit began when deputies tried to perform a vehicle stop on Flores for not switching his high beams to low beams and for an improper lefthand turn as he turned onto Old Lucerne Road.

From there, Flores led deputies on a high-speed pursuit that passed Upper Lake High School on Clover Valley Road, and continued through town, eventually ending up on Elk Mountain Road, Brooks said.

Brooks said that when the pursuit got onto Elk Mountain Road, Flores was passing over double-yellow lines and driving on the wrong side of the road, on blind curves, at speeds of up to 80 miles per hour.

In the area of White Rock Canyon Road, Flores' vehicle swerved and hit a dirt shoulder, then corrected before finally overturning and rolling onto the passenger side in a creek, Brooks said.

Flores has four adult passengers, one male and three females, said Brooks. Deputies originally had reported all were juveniles.

Brooks said Flores crawled out of the vehicle and fled, leaving his passengers behind as the rear undercarriage of the vehicle caught fire and became engulfed in flames.

Northshore Fire responded to the fire, which spread to the vegetation and burned about an eighth of an acre, Brooks said.

Brooks said all four of the passengers had complaints of pain, and one appeared to have a seizure after the collision.

Deputies saw Flores in the driver's seat and recognized him. He also was identified by witnesses at the scene, according to Brooks.

Later that day, the task force went looking for Flores, who Brooks said has had numerous contacts with law enforcement and a history of resisting and evading officers.

Flores was found as he was walking out of a residence on Highway 20 in Upper Lake and taken into custody, Brooks said.

Flores initially was booked on a misdemeanor bench warrant and a misdemeanor charge of obstructing officers, and felony charges of evading peace officers with disregard to safety, hit and run causing injury and evading peace officers resulting in serious bodily injury, according to jail records.

Since his arrest, additional charges have been added, including misdemeanor driving on a suspended license, and felony counts of possession of a stolen vehicle and assault with a deadly weapon.

His booking sheet shows his bail currently is set at $385,000. As of Monday, he remained in custody, and he's scheduled for a Tuesday court appearance.

Flores previously had been named as a suspect in a Lakeport stabbing in late July, as Lake County News has reported.

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.

Save

THIS STORY HAS BEEN UPDATED.

KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – A Monday night fire burned an automotive repair shop in Kelseyville.

The fire was dispatched just before 10:45 p.m. Monday, according to radio reports.

Lake County Central Dispatch received several reports of flames coming out of the building. The first units on scene found smoke and fire coming from the building's roof.

Kelseyville Fire, Lakeport Fire and Cal Fire all sent units to the incident, according to radio reports.

Reports from the scene indicated the Kelseyville Fire chief terminated the incident just before 2 a.m.

A full assessment of the damage to the building wasn't immediately available early Tuesday.

Editor's note: Fire officials said that the fire, originally dispatched as being at Mike's Auto, actually was at an adjacent business.

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.

Save