Friday, 29 November 2024

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The California Independent System Operator has issued a statewide Flex Alert, a call for voluntary electricity conservation, from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday.

With high temperatures in the forecast, the power grid operator is predicting an increase in electricity demand, primarily from air conditioning use. Reduced capacity, along with fire activity and heat, has led to a potential shortage of energy supply on Thursday evening.

On Wednesday afternoon, a grid alert was issued for a possible electricity shortage in the day-ahead market, for one hour beginning at 6 p.m. Thursday, and a Restricted Maintenance Operations (RMO) notice was issued for the period 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday.

The Grid Alert will allow operators to call up demand response supply, while the RMO allows operators to call all available generation onto the system and bring back transmission that may be offline for planned maintenance.

Consumers are urged to conserve electricity, especially during the late afternoon and early evening, when the grid is most stressed due to higher demand and solar energy production falling. Consumers are also asked to turn off unnecessary lights, delay using major appliances until after 10 p.m., and set air conditioner thermostats to 78 degrees or higher.

The conservation measures can help the power grid during a time of tight demand and supply, and avoid power interruptions. Energy reduction during a Flex Alert can prevent further emergency measures, including rotating power outages.

Between 3 p.m. and 10 p.m., the ISO is urging consumers to:

– Set air conditioning thermostats to 78 degrees, if health permits.
– Defer use of major appliances.
– Turn off unnecessary lights.
– Unplug unused electrical devices.
– Close blinds and drapes.
– Use fans when possible.
– Limit time the refrigerator door is open.

Consumers can also take steps to prepare for the Flex Alert by doing the following
before 3 p.m.:

– “Pre-cool” their homes, or lower air conditioning thermostats.
– Charge electric vehicles.
– Charge mobile devices and laptops.
– Run dishwashers, washing machines and other major appliances.
– Set pool pumps to run in the early morning or late at night.
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A NASA satellite image of Lake County, California, and portions of neighboring counties under a haze of wildland fire smoke on Tuesday, September 29, 2020. The orange dots signify the Glass fire in Napa and Sonoma counties. Photo courtesy of EOSDIS/NASA WorldView.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Lake County Air Quality Management District has issued an air quality alert for unhealthy conditions due to increased smoke from the Glass fire, August Complex and other fires around the region.

The air quality alert is in effect until 5 p.m. Wednesday.

Due to the significant fire activity this week, all areas of Lake County are forecast to have unhealthy for sensitive groups to unhealthy air quality as smoke settles into the area.

Early forecast information indicates a wind shift starting Thursday that should push the smoke out of the Lake County Basin.

Current air quality conditions for Lake County can be found at the PurpleAir website.

Smoke from wildfires and structure fires contain harmful chemicals that can affect your health. Smoke can cause eye and throat irritation, coughing and difficulty breathing.

People who are at greatest risk of experiencing symptoms due to smoke include those with respiratory disease such as asthma, those with heart disease, young children and older adults. These sensitive populations should stay indoors and avoid prolonged activity.

All others should limit prolonged or heavy activity and time spent outdoors. Even healthy
adults can be affected by smoke. Seek medical help if you have symptoms that worsen or become severe.

If you have lung disease, including asthma or heart disease, closely monitor your health and contact your doctor if you have symptoms that worsen. The air quality management suggests people consider leaving the area until smoke conditions improve if you have repeated coughing, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, wheezing, chest tightness or pain, palpitations, nausea, unusual fatigue or light-headedness.
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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County’s Public Health officer said Monday that the state has delayed by one week moving the county into the most restrictive tier in its Blueprint for a Safer Economy following a spike in local COVID-19 cases and several more deaths in recent weeks.

Dr. Gary Pace said last week that, based on information from the state, Lake County was set to be moved fully into the purple tier, the highest when assessing COVID-19 transmission risk, as early as Tuesday, as Lake County News has reported.

For the weeks of Sept. 6 to 12 and Sept. 13 to 19 Lake County’s case and positivity rates put it in line for greater restrictions.

However, Pace said many of those cases were associated with a single outbreak, referring to the situation at a skilled nursing facility, Lakeport Post Acute.

The California Department of Public Health reported the outbreak has resulted in 37 residents and 22 staffers testing positive, with Lake County Public Health confirming seven residents have died.

Pace said Monday that the state agreed to grant Lake County another week – Sept. 20 to 26 – to observe whether the case rate in the general population stays high.

“Data for Sept. 20 to 26 is still coming in, but it is probable we will move to the purple tier Tuesday, Oct. 6, with businesses having three additional days to comply. Business owners are encouraged to plan for this,” Pace said.

If the county is moved into that higher tier, Pace said businesses and enterprises considered high-risk must move all services outdoors. That includes restaurants, movie theaters, worship services and gyms/fitness centers, etc.

Select a purple tier county (such as Butte) to see all restrictions on the state website.

Pace said schools that have opened for on-site learning prior to the county joining the purple tier can stay open.

Schools offering remote learning only will have to wait until the county returns to the red tier – which has to be sustained over two consecutive seven-day reporting periods – to offer on-site instruction, Pace said.

“We are all tired and frustrated by how long the COVID-19 pandemic has endured, but rising cases mean we all must observe recommended and mandated precautions. COVID-19 can be serious, even fatal. If it continues to spread, we will be forced to further limit activities. The state will get increasingly involved in local affairs,” Pace said.

“We all want to be free to live our lives. Right now, we promote that when we wear a mask, keep a safe distance and avoid gatherings, particularly indoors, with people outside of our households,” as well as by taking special care if working with vulnerable people, Pace said.

“Our actions make a difference,” he 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.
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In the wake of nationwide demonstrations against structural racism and systemic injustice, Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday signed a series of bills into law initiating critical criminal justice, juvenile justice and policing reforms in California.

Delivering on his promise this summer to sign a bill ending the use of the carotid restraint, Gov. Newsom signed AB 1196 by Assemblymember Mike Gipson (D-Carson) which bans the practice statewide, and signed AB 1506 by Assemblymember Kevin McCarty (D-Sacramento) requiring the California Attorney General to conduct investigations into officer-involved shootings of unarmed individuals that result in death.

He also took action on legislation that reforms the juvenile justice system to put more emphasis on rehabilitation and education, as well as creating a more just probation system.

“Americans across the country took to the streets this summer rightfully demanding more and better of our criminal justice system – and of ourselves,” said Gov. Newsom. “We heard those calls for action loud and clear and today are advancing reforms to improve policing practices by ending the carotid hold and requiring independent investigations in officer-involved shootings. We are also taking important steps to break the school-to-prison pipeline. Still, we can and must do more. Working with our youth, faith and community leaders, law enforcement, the Legislature and countless others demanding change, my Administration remains committed to the important work ahead to make our criminal and juvenile justice systems fairer and safer for all Californians.”

Newsom has enacted major change on criminal justice reform during his first years in office – from enacting one of the nation’s strongest police use-of-force standards, to putting a moratorium on the death penalty and shutting down California’s execution chamber, to closing prisons.

Newsom’s office said the administration will continue to work with the Legislature on additional reforms, including efforts to increase transparency in peace officer records and broader decertification measures to create accountability for officers with a history of misconduct.

Gov. Newsom also took action on Wednesday on important juvenile justice reforms.

He signed several bills to support young people coming out of the criminal justice system and to disrupt the school-to-prison pipeline.

SB 823 by the Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review takes the first, formal step of closing the Division of Juvenile Justice, which will help to provide youth rehabilitative services closer to home.

Other bills the governor signed Wednesday that support youth include AB 901 by Assemblymember Mike Gipson (D-Carson), which will end the practice of referring youth who are having problems at school to probation programs.

Additionally, SB 203 by Senator Steven Bradford (D-Gardena) requires that children under age 17 have an opportunity to consult with legal counsel before interrogation, and SB 1290 by Senator Maria Elena Durazo (D-Los Angeles) will cancel certain fees assessed on juvenile offenders and their families.

Finally, Gov. Newsom signed AB 1950 by Assemblymember Sydney Kamlager (D-Los Angeles), which caps probation terms to a maximum of one year for misdemeanor offenses and two years for felonies.

Governor Newsom also signed:

AB 646 by Assemblymember Kevin McCarty (D-Sacramento) – Elections: voter eligibility.

AB 732 by Assemblymember Rob Bonta (D-Alameda) – County jails: prisons: incarcerated pregnant persons.

AB 846 by Assemblymember Autumn Burke (D-Inglewood) and Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin (D-Thousand Oaks) – Public employment: public officers or employees declared by law to be peace officers.

AB 1304 by Assemblymember Marie Waldron (R-Escondido) – California MAT Re-Entry Incentive Program. A signing message can be found here.

AB 1775 by Assemblymember Reginald Byron Jones-Sawyer, Sr. (D-Los Angeles) – False reports and harassment.

AB 2321 by Assemblymember Reginald Byron Jones-Sawyer, Sr. (D-Los Angeles) – Juvenile court records: access.

AB 2425 by Assemblymember Mark Stone (D-Scotts Valley) – Juvenile police records.

AB 2512 by Assemblymember Mark Stone (D-Scotts Valley) – Death penalty: person with an intellectual disability.

AB 2606 by Assemblymember Sabrina Cervantes (D-Riverside) – Criminal justice: supervised release file.

AB 3043 by Assemblymember Reginald Byron Jones-Sawyer, Sr. (D-Los Angeles) – Corrections: confidential calls.

AB 3234 by Assemblymember Philip Ting (D-San Francisco) – Public Safety. A signing message can be found here.

SB 480 by Senator Bob Archuleta (D-Pico Rivera) – Law enforcement uniforms.

SB 1126 by Senator Brian W. Jones (R-Santee) – Juvenile court records.

SB 1196 by Senator Thomas Umberg (D-Santa Ana) – Price gouging.
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On Tuesday, Chairman of the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Select Revenue Measures Mike Thompson (CA-05), along with Rep. Earl Blumenauer (OR-03) and Rep. Abby Finkenauer (IA-01) announced the introduction of the Disaster Tax Relief Act of 2020.

The bill would extend tax relief to survivors of natural disasters, other than the coronavirus pandemic, such as the recent LNU Lightning Complex fires that hit Thompson’s district.

“Our district is in the middle of a devastating fire, destroying homes and businesses, and leaving communities hit with another round of anxiety and grief about when and if they can go home. Disaster survivors deserve every piece of federal assistance we can deliver for them, including an extension of tax credits that will help them rebuild and recover,” said Thompson. “This bill will help people who lost their homes, individuals worried about losing income, and businesses that were forced to close or that burned down. We need this bill passed right away and I will continue working to bring back every Federal dollar and resource to help our district recover.”

“Oregonians have suffered unprecedented destruction from the wildfires, and this disaster is far from over,” said Blumenauer, a senior member of the House Ways and Means Committee. “With one million acres burned and more than 1,000 homes destroyed, Congress must enact comprehensive tax relief to ensure Oregon families and businesses get the necessary aid to overcome this crisis and achieve a strong recovery.”

“As Iowa’s First Congressional District continues recovering from August’s derecho, we need to do all we can to help,” Finkenauer said. “That’s why we introduced the Disaster RELIEF Act last week to help families whose lives were turned upside down and help employers take care of employees during this difficult time. I want to thank Chairman Thompson and Chairman Blumenauer for working with us to include our critical legislation in this important comprehensive disaster tax relief package.”

Natural disasters continue to be a sadly unavoidable part of daily life for so many Americans – since the expiration of the 2019 disaster tax relief package there have been 37 major natural disaster declarations.

This Disaster Tax Relief Act of 2020 extends tax relief provisions for disaster survivors, including the following provisions:

– Special disaster-related rules for use of retirement funds. This provision provides an exception to the 10 percent early retirement plan withdrawal penalty for certain qualified disaster relief distributions (not to exceed $100,000 in qualified distributions cumulatively). It allows for the re-contribution of retirement plan withdrawals for home purchases cancelled due to eligible disasters and provides flexibility for loans from retirement plans for certain qualified disaster relief.

– Employee retention credit for employers affected by qualified disasters. This provision provides a tax credit for 40 percent of wages (up to $6,000 per employee) paid by certain disaster-affected employers to employees from a core disaster area. The credit applies to wages paid without regard to whether services associated with those wages were performed.

– Special rules for qualified disaster-related personal casualty losses. This provision eliminates the current law requirements that personal casualty losses must exceed 10 percent of adjusted gross income to qualify for deduction with respect to uncompensated losses arising in certain disaster areas. The provision would also eliminate the current law requirement that taxpayers must itemize deductions to access this tax relief.

– Special Rule for Determining Earned Income for Taxpayers whose 2020 income was disaster-impacted. This provision allows taxpayers in disaster areas to refer to earned income from the immediately preceding year for purposes of determining the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Child Tax Credit (CTC) in tax year 2020.

– Temporary suspension of limitations on charitable contributions. This provision temporarily suspends limitations on the deduction for charitable contributions from corporations associated with certain qualified disaster relief. The CARES Act already provided this relief for individuals.

You can click here to read the full text of the bill.

Thompson represents California’s Fifth Congressional District, which includes all or part of Contra Costa, Lake, Napa, Solano and Sonoma counties.
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NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – Pacific Gas and Electric Co. said Monday night that it had restored power to nearly all of the 65,000 customers whose power it turned off on Sunday in response to a red flag warning.

The company said it reduced the scope of its public safety power shutoff from 89,000 customers in 16 counties to 65,000 customers in 15 counties: Alpine, Amador, Butte, Calaveras, El Dorado, Lake, Napa, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Shasta, Sierra, Tehama and Yuba counties.

As of Monday night, 1,300 customers were awaiting restoration, PG&E said.

In Lake County, PG&E said 55 customers, two of them in the medical baseline program, were impacted, along with two customers within Sonoma County. A few customers in Kern County had initially been included, but due to improved weather conditions, were removed from the scope.

The shutoffs began early Sunday morning and continued into the evening, when Lake County’s customers – in an area near the Lake and Napa County line south of Middletown – were reported to have had their power shut off.

On Monday morning, PG&E said meteorologists in its Emergency Operations Center issued a weather all-clear for most – but not all – areas impacted by the shutoff.

PG&E crews – consisting of nearly 1,700 ground personnel and 50 helicopters – then began inspecting nearly 3,915 miles of transmission and distribution lines for damage or hazards.

They began to restore powers to customers in areas where no damage or hazards to the company’s electrical equipment was found.

However, PG&E said preliminary data from the inspections revealed 13 instances of weather-related damage and hazards in the PSPS-affected areas. Examples include downed lines and vegetation on power lines.

The company said that, had it not deenergized power lines, those types of damage could have caused potential wildfire ignitions.

During the wind event, PG&E said top wind speeds throughout the power shutoff area included 61 miles per hour sustained and 73-mile-per-hour gusts on the Mt. St. Helena West weather station in Sonoma County; 44-mile-per-hour sustained winds and gusts of 72 miles per hour at Jarbo Gap in Butte County; and at Mt. Diablo in Contra Costa County, sustained winds were recorded at 52 miles per hour, with gusts of 66 miles per hour.

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.
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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – On Monday Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that Lake County has been granted $3.3 million in the first round of awards for Homekey, California’s innovative $600 million program to provide long-term housing for people experiencing or at risk of experiencing homelessness.

Lake County Department of Social Services, in partnership with Adventist Health Clear Lake, has contracted with Hope Rising Lake County to operate Hope Center at 3400 Emerson Drive in Clearlake.

Hope Rising Lake County is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit community benefit organization composed of health systems and services, county leaders, nonprofits, and other relevant organizations that serve Lake County.

The organization leads a joint effort to leverage resources and to improve the overall health and wellbeing of the community.

Hope Center in Clearlake is a 20-bed interim housing facility as well as a housing navigation hub that will provide additional housing navigation services and resources for those not sheltered at Hope Center.

Hope Center interim housing is not just a “homeless shelter.” This project is focused on housing navigation, empowering Lake County residents currently experiencing homelessness to find sustainable paths to housing.

In January of this year, 572 people were identified as experiencing homelessness or living in a place not meant for human habitation in Lake County. Hope Center will allow Lake County to begin to address this housing crisis even in the midst of COVID-19.

Participants will be able to access a variety of services, including housing case management, medical services and health screenings, mental health and substance use disorder treatment, 12-step meetings, health and nutrition education, job training and work experience (such as catering and landscaping), benefit enrollment, legal assistance and transportation, among others.

Lake County residents who meet eligibility requirements may self-refer or be referred by partner agencies, law enforcement, EMS, or the emergency department of local hospitals.

Acceptance of applicants during the COVID-19 pandemic will prioritize clients identified by Health Services as being particularly vulnerable to COVID-19 in our community.

Access to programs is not contingent on sobriety, minimum income requirements, lack of a criminal record, completion of treatment, participation in services, or other unnecessary conditions not related to safety during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In April, the Clearlake City Council approved a memorandum of understanding with Adventist Health Clear Lake and Hope Rising Lake County in which the city agreed to contribute $500,000 in bond funds for the Hope Center, as Lake County News has reported.

Officials have so far not reported a date for when the Hope Center is set to open.
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NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – Firefighters on Tuesday made gains in attempting to stop the rapid growth of the Glass fire across Napa and Sonoma counties, with the first containment reported.

Cal Fire said Tuesday night that the Glass fire, burning since early Sunday, had reached 46,600 acres, with containment at 2 percent.

Tens of thousands of North Coast residents remain under evacuation on Tuesday as 22,310 structures are threatened, but officials said some evacuations were downgraded in the city of Santa Rosa due to improving conditions.

As of Tuesday night, Cal Fire had confirmed 43 structures had been destroyed in Sonoma County, 28 of them residences and 15 minor structures. In Napa County, the fire has destroyed 72 structures, including 52 residences, two commercial buildings, 17 minor structures and one classified as “other.”

Cal Fire said firefighters continued to focus on structure defense on Tuesday while also building and reinforcing containment lines.

Firefighters have been using fire lines from the 2017 North Bay fires to help control the movement of the Glass fire, officials said Tuesday.

Changing winds led to some areas of increased fire activity. Aircraft operations also were inhibited by smoky conditions and poor visibility, although Cal Fire officials said on Tuesday morning that aircraft were working around the community of Angwin.

The fire has been burning in Trione-Annadel State Park, and Cal Fire said a fire operation was conducted there on Monday night. Officials said the fire also has become established in Sugarloaf Ridge State Park, which is an area of concern.

Cal Fire said firefighters will continue to aggressively fight the fire overnight.

Hot dry weather is anticipated over the next several days, with the National Weather Service issuing a heat advisory for Thursday for parts of the fire area, where temperatures are forecast to pass the century mark.

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.
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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Voters in Lake County will have numerous local offices to decide on when they vote for the Nov. 3 election.

School and special districts boards are among the seats up for election this fall.

That’s in addition to District 5 supervisorial runoff between Bill Kearney and Jessica Pyska.

The Lakeport and Clearlake city councils also have elections this November.

In Clearlake, on the ballot will be David Claffey and Joyce Overton, while in Lakeport candidates are Michael Froio, Michael Green, Nathan Maxman and Kenny Parlet.

While many positions will be on the ballot, in several cases where there are not enough candidates for seats or the same number of candidates as seats, those will not go on the ballot.

The following are the lists of seats for fire, school and special districts that will be filled by the fall election as well as those that have been filled and will not be on the ballot.

More information about the general election is available on the Lake County Registrar of Voters Office website.

SEATS THAT WILL APPEAR ON THE BALLOT

Callayomi County Water District

Rosemary Córdova, incumbent
Sandra Harris, retired administrative assistant
Roger Rosenthal, refrigeration controls technician

Kelseyville Unified School District

Beniakem D. Cromwell, appointed incumbent
Natalie Higley, labor advocate/mother
Mary Beth Mosko, mother
Gilbert Rangel, school literacy director

Konocti Unified School District

Susan C. Burton, incumbent
Michael “Mac” McMurtrey, assistant education director
Zabdy Neria, mental health specialist
Mary Silva, incumbent

Upper Lake Unified School District

Franklin Gudmundson, correctional deputy for the county of Lake
Don Meri, lead construction foreman
Claudine Pedroncelli incumbent

SEATS THAT WILL NOT APPEAR ON THE BALLOT

Buckingham Park Water District

Tom Brandon, incumbent
Shannon Maurer, appointed incumbent

Callayomi County Water District

James Rayburn, retired staff sergeant

Clearlake Oaks County Water District

James Burton, retired fire chief
Michael L. Herman, appointed incumbent
Mary M. Medeiros

Cobb Area County Water District

James “Jim” Agur, incumbent
Kees Winkelman, incumbent
Joshua Dixon, appointed incumbent (two-year unexpired term)

Konocti County Water District

Kirsten Priebe
Jeffrey Stanley, incumbent

Lake County Board of Education

Trustee Area No. 1: Melissa Nevin Kinsel, incumbent
Trustee Area No. 2: Mark A. Cooper, incumbent

Lakeport Unified School District

Dan Buffalo, incumbent
Philip Kirby, incumbent
Jeannie Markham, appointed incumbent

Lucerne Elementary School District

Stacia Fetzer, incumbent

Mendocino-Lake Community College District

Trustee Area No. 7 (Lake County): Temashio Anderson, appointed incumbent

Middletown Unified School District

Zoi Bracisco, retired program manager
Misha Grothe, incumbent

Upper Lake County Water District

Dawn R. Binns, incumbent
Valerie Duncan, incumbent
Allen Merriman, incumbent

Villa Blue Estates Water District

Donna Lynn Brooks
Ann Knudsen
Gary Pierce, incumbent

Yuba Community College District

Trustee Area No. 7: William Roderick, student services director
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The August Complex South Zone as mapped on Monday, September 28, 2020. Forest officials said the acreage size for the South Zone had very limited fire growth on Tuesday, September 29, 2020. Map courtesy of the US Forest Service.

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – Officials reported that the August Complex has continued to show massive growth.

The August Complex’s size rose to 938,044 acres on Tuesday – nearly 60,000 acres more over the previous day – with containment remaining at 43 percent.

The lightning-caused complex, which began Aug. 17, is burning on the Mendocino, Shasta-Trinity and Six Rivers National Forests.

It is far and away the largest wildland fire incident in the state’s recorded history, and it is expected to burn for another month and a half until it’s fully contained.

Cal Fire’s unified team and the US Forest Service are engaged in a coordinated and collaborative response to the complex, which has been split into three zones – South, West and North – to effectively provide a response to the communities at risk.

Due to the resource drawdown throughout California, Cal Fire’s Incident Management Team requested the California National Guard to assist with fire suppression efforts. As a result, 138 National Guard personnel are assigned to the incident.

Resources from across the state as well as from Montana, Idaho, Texas, Washington and New Jersey have been assigned to assist on the August Complex’s West Zone.

Altogether, 1,612 personnel were assigned to the incident as of Tuesday night, the Forest Service reported.

The US Forest Service said crews spent Monday on the complex’s South Zone checking control lines in the Lake Pillsbury area and conducting mop up further into the burned area after the weekend red flag warning conditions ended and high winds exited the area.

Improving conditions on Monday led to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office lifting mandatory evacuation orders in the Lake Pillsbury area, as Lake County News has reported.

“The hard work our crews put in during the days before weather conditions worsened allowed the South Zone to hold and defend containment lines around the Lake Pillsbury area, ” said Mike Quesinberry, incident commander of the National Incident Management Organization. “All of this advance preparation, including line construction, structure protection, firing operations, and mop up led to a very successful outcome as critical fire weather came through.”

Strong winds have pushed the fire from the Yolla Bolly Middle Eel Wilderness west and southwest, and on Monday the fire, with the winds continuing to push it, prompted evacuation orders and warnings being expanded on the West and North zones in Humboldt, Mendocino and Trinity counties, Cal Fire reported.

In the South Zone on Tuesday, crews performed additional checks of control lines, mopped up additional areas and worked to identify and remove snags and trees that have fallen as a result of fire damage or wind in the Lake Pillsbury area, the Forest Service said.

Officials said other crews will begin dismantling and retrieving hose, pumps, and portable tanks that were installed for structure protection and to hold control lines as areas are checked and determined to be cold.

The PNW No. 2 Incident Management Team under Incident Commander Rob Allan will brief with Mike Quesinberry’s NIMO team Tuesday and assume command of the August Complex South Zone this week, officials said.


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The Glass fire burns near Silverado Trail and Highway 29 in Napa County, California, at 9 p.m. Monday, September 28, 2020. Photo by Gemini Garcia.

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – As the Glass and Zogg fires continued to tear through parts of Northern California on Monday, Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency for three counties.

The Glass fire, which began early Sunday morning, more than tripled in size on Monday, with Cal Fire reporting by nightfall that it had burned 36,236 acres across neighboring Napa and Sonoma counties, with zero containment.

The fire, which has prompted tens of thousands of North Coast residents to leave their homes under mandatory evacuation orders, is threatening 8,543 structures. Cal Fire said Monday night that it has destroyed 113 buildings and damaged two others.

Farther to the north, the Zogg fire in Shasta County, which began Sunday afternoon, was up to 31,237 acres and no containment on Monday night, Cal Fire said. It has killed three civilians, is threatening 1,538 structures and has so far destroyed 146 buildings.

Pacific Gas and Electric Co., which concluded on Monday a public safety power shutoff to 65,000 customers across 15 counties due to the red flag warning in effect through the weekend, said it’s continuing to closely monitor the Glass and Zogg fires and is working closely with first responders and Cal Fire.

On Monday night, the company said approximately 24,000 of its customers in Napa, Sonoma, Shasta and Tehama counties impacted by wildfires are without power. In some instances, power was turned off in partnership with Cal Fire and for the safety of firefighters in active fire areas or due to damage caused from wildfire-related impacts to equipment.

Also on Monday night, Gov. Newsom issued his state of emergency declaration for Napa and Sonoma counties due to the Glass fire and for Shasta County due to the Zogg fire.

Downtown Calistoga, California, appeared abandoned on Monday, September 28, 2020, after residents were forced to evacuate from the path of the Glass fire. Photo by Gemini Garcia.

The governor on Monday also sent a letter to President Donald Trump requesting a presidential major disaster declaration to assist state and local wildfire response and recovery efforts in the counties of Fresno, Los Angeles, Madera, Mendocino, San Bernardino, San Diego and Siskiyou.

California previously secured a presidential major disaster declaration to bolster the state’s emergency response to the Northern California wildfires as well as Fire Management Assistance Grants from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to support the state’s ongoing response to fires burning across the state.

In addition, Gov. Newsom has declared a statewide emergency due to the widespread fires and extreme weather conditions, activated the State Operations Center to its highest level and signed an executive order to streamline recovery efforts in communities impacted by the devastating fires.

Through the night on Monday and into early Tuesday, scanner traffic indicated the struggle firefighters are facing with the Glass fire, as it makes runs over ridges, spot fires develop and some residents who refused to evacuate called in for help as the fire approached their homes.

Calistoga, which was placed under evacuation on Monday evening, appeared abandoned later in the night, according to Lake County News correspondent Gemini Garcia.

Garcia said the fire was burning along Silverado Trail at Highway 29. She said dozers were headed up Palisades Road near Calistoga. “It’s the only sound you can hear from any viewpoint.”

A view of the Palisades taken from St. Helena, California, as the Glass fire burns nearby on Monday, September 28, 2020. Photo by Gemini Garcia.

Fires burning now among state’s largest

In a briefing on Monday morning, Gov. Gavin Newsom said 27 major wildland incidents were burning across the state.

Separately, Cal Fire reported that there have been more than 8,100 wildfires that have burned more than 3.7 million acres in California since the start of the year.

Since Aug. 15, when California’s fire activity elevated, there have been 26 fatalities and over 7,000 structures destroyed, Cal Fire said.

Five of the six largest wildland fires in recorded California history are now burning.

They include the August Complex in the Mendocino, Shasta-Trinity and Six Rivers National Forests, an area that includes northern Lake County, the largest fire in state history at more than 902,463 acres; the SCU Lightning Complex, the third-largest in history, which has burned 396,624 acres in Alameda, Contra Costa, Merced, San Joaquin, Santa Clara and Stanislaus counties; the LNU Lightning Complex, No. 4, at 363,220 acres, burning in Colusa, Lake, Napa, Sonoma, Solano and Yolo counties; the North Complex, No. 5, which has burned 306,135 acres in Butte and Plumas counties; and the Creek fire, at 304,640 acres, burning in Fresno and Madera counties, is No. 6.

The 2018 Mendocino Complex, which burned 459,123 acres in Colusa, Glenn, Lake and Mendocino counties, is the second-largest fire in state history.

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.

A Cal Fire map of fires burning across the state of California on Monday, September 28, 2020.
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The August Complex as mapped on Monday, September 28, 2020. Map courtesy of the US Forest Service.


LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Thanks to the work of firefighters protecting communities around Lake Pillsbury against the approach of the August Complex, evacuation orders in the area have been reduced to warnings.

The US Forest Service said Monday that the August Complex had grown to 878,470 acres – up about 8,000 acres since Sunday – with containment up two percentage points to 45 percent.

The complex, which began due to lightning on Aug. 17, is burning on the Mendocino, Shasta-Trinity and Six Rivers National Forests. Fire officials continue to anticipate it will be fully contained on Nov. 15.

Firefighters have been on high alert across the complex’s vast acreage due to an ongoing red flag warning that the National Weather Service issued last week because of high winds from an offshore wind event.

Critical fire weather conditions continue, officials said, with winds on Monday expected to be sustained at 12 to 18 miles per hour with gusts to 25 miles per hour on ridges and high areas, and 6 to 12 miles per hour in valleys.

Officials said temperatures will be close to 100 degrees and the humidity will be in the single digits. Relative humidity values did not increase much overnight, so fuels will start out dry this morning. As a result of these conditions, there will be significant potential for rapid fire growth for most of the day.

Despite the high winds and critical fire weather Sunday, crews successfully defended control lines in the Lake Pillsbury area and the east side of the South Zone is still fully contained, the US Forest Service reported.

On Monday, fire crews are continuing their work to secure firelines in the Pillsbury Lake and Rice Fork areas, the Forest Service said.

The Lake County Sheriff’s Office said Monday that the evacuation orders have been reduced to warnings for all residents and areas south of fire’s edge, north of North Ridge and West Crockett Camp, east of the Lake-Mendocino County line and west of the Lake-Glenn County line.

Also, evacuation orders have been lifted for all areas south of North Ridge and West Crockett Camp, east of the Lake-Glenn-Colusa County line and north of Pack Saddle Creek, the sheriff’s office reported.

Evacuation orders remain in effect for all areas north of the fire’s edge, south and west of the Lake-Glenn County line, and east of the Lake-Mendocino County line, the sheriff’s office reported.

Full evacuation information can be found here.

The Forest Service said the last remaining elements of the 14th Brigade Engineering Battalion from Joint Base Lewis-McChord departed the August Complex on Sunday after fighting the fire for 30 days.

“The hard work by these dedicated soldiers made a significant impact on the South Zone of the August Complex,” said Mike Quesinberry, incident commander of the National Incident Management Organization. “This unit provided additional capacity when national resources were critically low and played an important role in increasing containment and protecting structures.”

On the east side of the complex, the Burned Area Emergency Response team, or BAER, is
mobilized and prepared to start their analyses of the burned area, the Forest Service said.

After a fire, officials said the priority is emergency stabilization in order to prevent further damage to life, property or natural resources on Forest Service lands.

The stabilization work begins before the fire is out and may continue for up to a year. Rehabilitation focuses on the lands unlikely to recover naturally from wildland fire damage, 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.

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