LAKEPORT, Calif. – Lake County Special Districts reported that it has lifted the boil water notice issued for its Soda Bay water system customers over the weekend.

Special Districts Compliance Manager Jan Coppinger said the notice was lifted for County Service Area No. 20 after all lab results indicated that there was not any bacteriological contamination and the water is safe.

Coppinger said the notice was implemented due to turbidity issues in the treatment process on Saturday and remained in effect until Special Districts could verify that the water was safe.

NORTH COAST, Calif. – Mendocino County officials earlier this month took an Upper Lake man into custody for allegedly assaulting another man at a recreation area on South Cow Mountain.

Nathanyal Elexander Geurts, 30, was arrested on Aug. 8 for making criminal threats, battery with serious bodily injury, assault with a deadly weapon and vandalism, according to a report from Lt. Greg Stefani of the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office.

At approximately 10:19 a.m. that day Mendocino County Sheriff's deputies were requested at the Red Mountain Camp – located in the BLM South Cow Mountain Off Highway Vehicle Area – regarding a physical assault that was in progress, Stefani said.

Stefani said the caller stated that the victim was leaving the area in a white pickup and that the suspect in the case was driving a white Ford pickup.

While responding to the location deputies located a white Dodge pickup with broken windows and a smashed windshield stopped on Mill Creek Road in Talmage, which is an access road to the OHV area, Stefani explained.

The driver, 33-year-old Phillip Bacon of North Highlands, got out of his vehicle and deputies saw that his eye was swelling shut. Stefani said Bacon indicated that he was assaulted by his friend's brother, Nathanyal Geurts.

Bacon indicated that after he was assaulted that the suspect Geurts threw large rocks through his windows and then as he was leaving backed into the passenger side of his vehicle, Stefani said.

Stefani said Bacon also said that as Geurts was throwing rocks at him, he indicated he wanted to kill him.

Bacon was on his way to the hospital for medical attention when deputies encountered him, according to Stefani.

A “be on the lookout” was issued to the Lake County Sheriff's Office as Geurts is an Upper Lake resident, Stefani said.

Stefani said that a short time later Geurts was stopped by Lake County Sheriff's deputies and later questioned by Mendocino County Sheriff's deputies regarding the assault.

Geurts subsequently was placed under arrest and transported to the Mendocino County Jail with bail set at $30,000, Stefani said.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – A special back-to-school open house will be held at the Mendocino College Lake Center in Lakeport on Wednesday, Aug. 19.

The event takes place from noon to 1:30 p.m. at the campus, located at 2565 Parallel Drive.

The college's fall semester begins on Monday, Aug. 24.

Join the Lake County Friends of Mendocino College and the Kiwanis Club of Lakeport as they welcome students, faculty and staff to the fall semester at the Lake Center. 

The Kiwanis will prepare and help serve the free hot dog barbecue, along with members of the Governing Council of the Lake County Friends.

Those who attend also can meet new and returning students and faculty, and tour the campus.

There also is still time to register for classes; a class schedule and online registration can be found at www.mendocino.edu .

For more information about the open house, contact the Mendocino College Lake Center at 707-263-4944.

LUCERNE, Calif. – Firefighters are on the scene of a fire in the hills above Lucerne.

The fire on top of Bartlett Springs Road was first reported at approximately 2:18 p.m. Wednesday, according to radio reports.

How the fire started so far is unclear. Initially, the incident was reported to have started with a vehicle fire. Cal Fire's Copter 104, arriving a short time later, reported that it was a structure fire that had spread into the wildland.

Northshore Fire Protection District units arriving not long afterward reported finding a travel trailer and a vehicle fully involved, with a 100-foot by 100-foot spot burning in the timber.

Additional radio reports indicted that there were two travel trailers, along with outbuildings, vehicles and motorcycles at the scene of the fire.

Cal Fire air attack was quickly over the scene, directing water and retardant drops, according to radio reports.

In addition to Northshore Fire and Cal Fire, Mendocino National Forest fire units have arrived on scene.

More details 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.

NICE, Calif. – A Monday night fire destroyed two homes and an outbuilding, and threatened several other structures in a neighborhood in Nice.

The fire, which occurred on Howard Avenue, was first reported just before 10 p.m. Monday.

Northshore Fire Chief Jay Beristianos, who remained on the scene with more than two dozen firefighters early Tuesday morning, said the fire broke out in an older mobile home and spread next door to a newer modular residence.

While there was no one at home at the time the fire began in the mobile home, two people were present in the modular home, he said.

One of the residents of the modular was a man who was handicapped and struggling to get out of the home, Beristianos said.

Neighbors came to the man's aid, dragging him out of the residence. As a result, he received abrasions, and a second man had some first-degree burns from the rescue effort. Beristianos said both men had minor injuries and were transported to Sutter Lakeside Hospital for treatment.

Personnel from Northshore Fire's nearby Nice fire station were out on a medical aid, so Beristianos said a unit from the Lucerne station arrived first.

Lakeport Fire also came to the scene with a ladder truck, which was set up in front of the modular home, with Cal Fire sending engines to work the fire.

Beristianos said that when firefighters arrived, a power line from the modular home dropped across the roadway. Pacific Gas and Electric later responded to handle the downed line, which had made the situation more challenging and dangerous for firefighters.

Meantime, Beristianos said it took more than an hour to get control of the fire, which burned in the midst of a neighborhood.

While other structures nearby were threatened, Beristianos said nearby Lakeview Drive – which law enforcement had helped close off for a time while the firefighting effort was under way – formed a barrier to the fire's movement.

In addition to the two homes, Beristianos said the fire burned a small outbuilding and may have done minor damage to a third home.

Beristianos said a total of eight people were displaced by the fires, including two adults and four children in the older mobile home and two adults in the second, modular home. Red Cross arrived on scene early Tuesday to assist them with housing.

As for the cause, Beristianos said the investigation is under way.

“We've gone through all the basic questions now,” he said, with investigators now needing to go through the process of elimination.

In addition to Lakeport Fire's ladder truck, Northshore Fire sent three engines, two support vehicles and two command vehicles, and Cal Fire sent three engines, with a total of 25 firefighters from all agencies working the incident, Beristianos said.

He said at least one engine would stay on scene overnight to monitor the burn area.

Video below courtesy of Tawn Goetjen.

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 – Hot temperatures and dry conditions continue to lead to an increase in wildland fires around the state, according to Cal Fire.

In the Monday Fire Situation Report, Cal Fire spokesman Daniel Berlant said there has been a significant increase in fire activity in the state, with the agency responding to more than 200 new incidents last week.

On Monday more than 13,000 firefighters were battling 19 active wildland fires around California, Berlant said.

“Our goal is to contain 95-percent of all of our wildfires to 10 acres or less,” he said, noting Cal Fire is way over that percentage.

Berlant also reviewed the northern lightning complexes – including the Humboldt lightning complex, the South, the Mad River, the Route and others – that he said are responsible for the smoke across the state's northern and central portions,which is causing unhealthy air quality conditions for residents in those areas.

The Lake County Air Quality Management District also reported on Monday that air quality in the county is forecast to be in the unhealthy range through Tuesday due to the amount of smoke in the air basin from the northern fires.

Berlant also reported on the Jerusalem fire, burning since Aug. 9 in Lake County. By mid-day Monday, that fire was reported to be 25,118 acres and 90-percent contained.

He said crews remain at work on the Jerusalem fire, and are mopping up, just as they are on the Rocky fire area to the north. The Rocky fire was fully contained on Friday at 69,438 acres.

Berlant said the thank you signs and cards the community has created for firefighters really help with morale after weeks of hard work on the fire lines.

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. – Cal Fire law enforcement officers have determined the cause of one of the two fires that burned together to form the Rocky fire, which scorched tens of thousands of acres and burned dozens of structures after it began late last month.

A report from the Lake County Sheriff's Office said Cal Fire concluded the cause of the first of the two fires was the result of the failure of a gas water heater in an outbuilding that contained flammable liquids.

The outbuilding fire then caught the nearby vegetation on fire and quickly spread to the surrounding area, officials reported.

While the cause has been determined, the circumstances surrounding the fire starting remain under investigation, according to the report.

The cause of the second fire is still under investigation, the sheriff's office said.

The Rocky fire started on Wednesday, July 29, at 3:29 p.m. off of Morgan Valley Road east of the community of Lower Lake.

When firefighters were first dispatched to the incident, it was reported as a structure fire on Rocky Creek Road, with a second fire later reported on Morgan Valley Road, as Lake County News has reported.

The fire burned approximately 69,438 acres over the next 16 days. The last damage assessment from county officials put the number of structures destroyed at 110 – nearly 50 residences with the rest outbuildings. That number may yet grow as assessments continue.

At the peak of the fire, more than 13,000 residents were impacted by evacuations and 7,500 homes were threatened, officials said.

The fire was fully contained on Aug. 14. Patrols remain under way on the fire area.

The Rocky fire remains the largest wildland fire in California this summer.

On the afternoon of Sunday, Aug. 9, the Jerusalem fire began in Jerusalem Valley, just south of the Rocky fire.

While the Jerusalem fire burned very close to the Rocky fire – with parts of the fire perimeters joining at one point – the cause is unrelated and remains under investigation, the sheriff's office reported.

On Wednesday, the Jerusalem fire remained at 25,118 acres and 95-percent containment, Cal Fire said. That fire is expected to be fully contained this week.

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Several acres were reported burned in a late Monday night fire in Clearlake that occurred near the location of a fire that took place last week.

Just before 11:30 p.m. firefighters responded to the area of Sulphur Bank Road and North Drive in the Clearlake Park area, where callers reported seeing flames and smoke on the hillside.

Firefighters from Lake County Fire Protection District and Cal Fire who arrived on scene a short time later said the fire was burning on top of a ridge, with no structures threatened.

It also was in the area of a fire that had been reported on Friday evening at Sulphur Bank Road and North Drive, as Lake county News has reported.

Radio reports indicated the fire burned between five and 10 acres, with one of its flanks eventually moving into the area of the Friday fire.

A strike team from the nearby Jerusalem fire responded to work on the incident, according to radio reports.

Additional information will be published 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.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Wildland fires in far Northern California continue to be the source of smoke over Lake County that has contributed to a forecast of air quality in the “unhealthy” range.

The Lake County Quality Management District reported that air quality conditions on Monday were in the “unhealthy” range, with those conditions forecast to continue through Tuesday afternoon, when some clearing may occur.

The forecast through Tuesday afternoon is for “unhealthy” air quality, with some clearing possible. 

The Lake County Quality Management District said the smoke is not from the Rocky fire – contained last Friday at 69,438 acres – or the Jerusalem fire, which on Monday morning was 90-percent contained at 25,118 acres.

Smoke production on both of those incidents has been greatly reduced, officials said.

Instead major wildland fires burning farther north are the source of the major smoke intrusion into Lake County's air basin, according to the district.

Those fires include the Humboldt Complex, 4,883 acres, 95-percent contained; the Route Complex, 28,861 acres, 30-percent contained; the South Complex, 20,978 acres, 35-percent contained; the Gasquet Complex, 4,049 acres, 26-percent contained; the River Complex, 37,165 acres, 18-percent contained; and other Northern California, Oregon, and Washington fires. 

The smoke moved into Lake County starting on Saturday, the current weather pattern will keep the smoke in the Lake County Air Basin until conditions change.

All areas of Lake County are likely to be significantly impacted, the district said. Conditions can change quickly, and localized areas may experience intermittent particulate levels in the “very unhealthy” to “hazardous” ranges.

The “unhealthy” air quality forecast results from higher levels of fine particulates from the northwest fires and the possibility of increased ground-level ozone.

Ozone is generated when combustion products in the smoke combine with the high temperatures, sunlight, and humidity. Other chemical reactions reduce visibility by forming secondary particulates.

The district said individuals with asthma, bronchitis, emphysema, and other lung or heart diseases should carefully adhere to their medical treatment plans and maintain at least a five-day supply of prescribed medications. They should limit outdoor activity and unnecessary physical exertion.

Air conditioning that recirculates indoor air should be used, when available. Drinking plenty of water to avoid drying of the airways is recommended, unless restricted for medical reasons.

Dust masks are not protective against fine particulate, which is the pollutant most detrimental to health caused by wildfire smoke. Such masks are only useful in filtering out the ash and larger particles that are encountered in burn areas.

Air purifying respirators, such as N-95 filtering face pieces, may be effective in reducing harmful particulate matter, but also increase the work of breathing, can lead to physiologic stress, and are not recommended as a general protective measure.

With the potential for significant smoke from the regional fires, individuals planning to enjoy the outdoors should consider avoiding certain higher elevation areas that may be more heavily impacted, such as Mt. Konocti park, Boggs Forest, and the Mendocino National Forest.

With air quality in the “unhealthy” range, people are recommended to limit prolonged or heavy exertion and limit time spent outdoors.

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Police are investigating the circumstances of how a Clearlake man came to be in a stolen vehicle filled with items including stolen checkbooks and ID cards.

Zachary James Stovall, 20, was arrested on Monday for violating his probation, according to Detective Sgt. Nick Bennett of the Clearlake Police Department.

At 6:50 a.m. Monday Clearlake Police Officer Travis Parson conducted a traffic stop for a traffic infraction in the area of Buckeye Street near Austin Road, Bennett said.

Bennett said Sgt. Rodd Joseph covered on the traffic stop and it was soon discovered the vehicle was an unreported stolen vehicle from Sonoma County.

The driver, identified as Stovall, was found to be on probation for weapons violations in Lake County and subsequently was taken into custody for probation custody, Bennett said.

Further investigation revealed there were several items of stolen property in the vehicle including coins, checkbooks and various forms of identification cards, according to Bennett.

Bennett said many of the persons whose identification was in the stolen vehicle were unaware their identity had been stolen and were grateful of the recovery.

The investigation is continuing into the theft of the vehicle, with authorities contacting additional victims of burglaries both in Clearlake and Sonoma County, Bennett said.

Stovall was booked into Lake County Jail on a charge violation of probation with other charges pending.

He remained in custody early Wednesday, according to jail records.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Firefighters increased containment on the Jerusalem fire again on Monday, reaching 90 percent.

Officials said the adjusted size of the fire – which began Aug. 9 northeast of Middletown – is 25,118 acres.

The 90-percent mark was reached by Monday morning, and held throughout the day, according to Cal Fire.

A report from Cal Fire spokesman Scott McLean said the number of destroyed structures remains at six residences and 21 outbuildings.

McLean reported that Cal Fire has continued to estimate full containment will occur by Friday.

Total personnel assigned on Monday included approximately 2,006 personnel, 121 engines, 64 hand crews, 21 dozers, 19 water tenders and 11 helicopters, Cal Fire said.

Cal Fire extended its thanks to the 74 cooperating agencies assisting with the incident as well as the communities impacted by the Jerusalem and nearby Rocky fire – which was contained on Friday – for the continued support throughout the firefighting effort.

Community members are urged to continue to be aware that firefighters are still working in the fire area to extinguish all hot spots and monitor the area inside the perimeter. 

Due to the hot, dry conditions, the community also is urged to use extreme caution to avoid new wildland fire incidents.

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. – The Jerusalem fire moved closer to full containment on Sunday, according to fire officials.

Cal Fire said Sunday night that containment of the fire, which began Aug. 9 in the Jerusalem Valley northeast of Middletown, had reached 85 percent.

The fire's total size on Sunday evening was reported at 25,156 acres, a growth of approximately 10 acres since Saturday night, based on Cal Fire's reports.

Cal Fire said it has completed its damage assessment on the incident, and concluded that a total of six residences and 21 outbuildings have been destroyed.

Three structures that previously were recorded as residences were confirmed to be hunting cabins, and so have now been counted under other minor structures such as outbuildings, the agency said.

All evacuation orders were lifted on Saturday, with Cal Fire reporting that no structures remain threatened.

Cal Fire said approximately 2,194 firefighters remained assigned to the incident on Sunday night, along with 121 engines, 64 hand crews, 21 dozers, 19 water tenders and 11 helicopters.

No injuries have been reported among the firefighters from dozens of agencies around the state, Cal Fire said.

Fire crews are continuing the effort to fully contain the incident while extinguishing all spots and monitoring the area inside the perimeter, according to Cal Fire.

Cal Fire asked the public to maintain a sense of awareness as firefighters are still working near the roadways. 

The estimated date for full containment remains Friday, Aug. 21, according to Cal Fire's Sunday report.

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.