LOWER LAKE, Calif. – The Clayton fire took a devastating turn on Sunday, burning into downtown Lower Lake, threatening parts of the city of Clearlake and necessitating more evacuations.
Burning since early Saturday evening, the Clayton fire swung into its second day with fury, burning up 2,000 additional acres – for a total of 3,000 by day's end – with the burned structures count rising to 10.
However, that tally of burned structures is likely to rise. During a Sunday evening press conference at the Middletown Senior Center, Cal Fire Unit Chief Shana Jones said the agency had not been able to confirm how many structures were destroyed in Lower Lake on Sunday, and an assessment team was on its way and would start its work as soon as it is safe to do so.
Altogether on Sunday, 4,000 people had been evacuated due to the fire, Jones said.
While conditions had seemed favorable for firefighters on Sunday morning, it was early on Sunday afternoon that officials said the situation changed.
At around noon, the wind turned the fire around, pushing it back into Lower Lake, while at the same time the temperature reached about 100 degrees, according to statements made by Jones and Sheriff Brian Martin on Sunday.
Over the coming hours firefighters battled the blaze as it tore through Lower Lake, with more resources called in not just from the state, but even from across the country. A large air tanker was requested to respond from as far away as Wyoming, according to radio traffic.
The fire seemed to continually jump lines, as well as Morgan Valley Road and Cache Creek. Those developments caused authorities to order additional evacuations that extended into part of the Avenues area of Clearlake and to close Highway 53.
Also evacuated at that point was St. Helena Hospital Clear Lake. The hospital received evacuation orders from fire officials at approximately 2:35 p.m., according to spokeswoman Cambria Wheeler.
Wheeler said hospital staff immediately began preparing to transfer the 17 patients in the hospital units and evacuated or transferred additional patients and family members in the emergency department. The final patient was evacuated at 4:30 p.m.
Depending on their conditions, Wheeler said patients were transferred via ambulance or Lake Transit Authority bus accompanied by hospital nursing personnel. All patients arrived safely at Sutter Lakeside Hospital.
Hospital incident command was established off-site to continue coordinating patient care and to prepare to reopen, Wheeler said.
The hospital will remain closed until further notice, said Wheeler, adding that the hospital will reopen as soon as possible. The hospital must receive clearance from the fire department and California Department of Public Health before reopening.
As the fire fight intensified on Sunday afternoon and into the evening, the power was ordered cut at around 5:30 p.m. to an area in Lower Lake and Clearlake that included the hospital and the Highlands Senior Center, which was being used as an evacuation shelter since Saturday night.
The sheriff's office reported that the Red Cross shelter at the senior center subsequently was closed and moved to Kelseyville High School. Two other shelters also were opened at Twin Pine Casino in Middletown and the Lakeport Seventh-day Adventist Church. All three facilities had served as emergency shelters at various times during last summer's wildland fires.
At Kelseyville High School late Sunday, officials with Red Cross reported about 50 people were sheltering there and sleeping on cots in the school's gym. Due to the lateness of the hour, Lake County News did not attempt to visit the other shelters.
Martin said the same unprecedented fire conditions that occurred during the 2015 wildland fires are being witnessed in this latest fire incident.
He declared a local emergency on Sunday afternoon and requested law enforcement mutual aid to assist local agencies during the fire.
As part of that mutual aid request, he said he is seeking from other agencies 14 additional officers and deputies for each 12-hour shift during the coming week. Those additional resources will work alongside of Lake County deputies to patrol both inside of the city of Clearlake and in the unincorporated areas of the county impacted by the fire.
“It is my commitment that we will keep our communities safe while people have safely evacuated,” while ensuring that operational areas are safe for firefighters, Martin said.
Lake County Superintendent of Schools Brock Falkenberg said that on Monday Konocti Unified School District schools would be closed, including Lower Lake High, Lower Lake Elementary, Carlé Continuation High School, Konocti Education Center, Burns Valley, Pomona, East Lake and Clearlake Creativity Center.
Falkenberg said school officials would be presenting on Tuesday a longterm plan for continuing operations.
In addition, he said the Woodland Community College Lake County Campus in Clearlake also is closed until further notice.
Falkenberg did not report on the condition of those school facilities. However, authorities on scene in Lower Lake Sunday night indicated that the school facilities had survived.
County Administrative Officer Carol Huchingson said county offices will be open for business on Monday. She asked for the public's patience, as some staff will be assisting with the emergency response.
Huchingson also said that Social Services staff will not be in their normal offices in Lower Lake due to safety concerns related to smoke.
Late Sunday night fire conditions seemed to ease up.
In downtown Lower Lake, fire and law enforcement officials were patrolling the streets and actively working fires in residential areas off of Main Street.
While there was severe damage in the downtown – Tuscan Village, the Pioneer Realty building and Habitat for Humanity were burned – most of the commercial structures survived.
And further down the street, just on the edge of the downtown, the Lower Lake Schoolhouse Museum – which had survived the 1906 earthquake – loomed, untouched, in the darkness. A firefighter standing guard nearby said the building was safe and sound.
Supervisor Rob Brown, who had been in Lower Lake on Sunday afternoon when conditions turned, said he had watched the fire burn up to the rear of the museum building, and had believed it was going to be lost. Late Sunday, the charred earth was visible behind the building, which itself was untouched.
During the Sunday press conference, Lt. Hector Paredes, commander of the California Highway Patrol's Clear Lake Area office, said the CHP was trying to reopen Highway 53 as quickly as possible.
The CHP and the sheriff's office later reported that Highway 53 between Highway 20 and Olympic Drive had been reopened, but that Highway 53 remained closed between Olympic Drive and Highway 29. The CHP said both Highway 20 and Highway 29 are completely open.
Pacific Gas and Electric reported early Monday that, altogether, more than 1,800 customers in the fire area were without power due to the ongoing outages.
State Sen. Mike McGuire said a community town hall meeting on the fire will be held on Monday evening, with the time and location to be announced by Monday afternoon.
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
