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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. –  I want to provide an update for District 1 residents who remain concerned about reports that the Tubbs Fire may move north toward Middletown.
 
I was able to put eyes on the Tubbs Fire last night, with the help of the tremendous people from CAL FIRE.  Right now, the lines and the plans they have in place are holding well, and the winds are cooperating.
 
As District 1 Supervisor, please know that I am in constant communication with the Lake County Sheriff’s Office and CAL FIRE.  Currently, we remain under an Advisory, which is not a full evacuation.  Response teams are using every resource available to them to ensure these fires do not advance.  
 
With Mother Nature’s help, we are optimistic the Tubbs Fire will be contained, and never reach our side of the mountain.
 
We are deeply appreciative and grateful for the outstanding work of so many over the past week.  Our firefighters have been truly remarkable.
 
If evacuation is required, please rest assured that we will get the word out through appropriate channels.
 
Please continue to focus your attention on Nixle, CAL FIRE, the Lake County Office of Emergency Services and Lake County Sheriff’s Office’s Facebook posts, and other reliable communications.  
 
Again, CAL FIRE Chief Greg Bertelli consistently reminds us, “There is a difference between information and intelligence.”
 
I will personally continue to monitor the best intelligence available, and any need to evacuate will be communicated in a timely manner.
 
If evacuation is ultimately required, we ask that you proceed in an orderly fashion, and follow the specific instructions of your emergency response officials.
Posted On

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – On Friday authorities lifted the remaining Sulphur fire evacuations for residents of Clearlake and Clearlake Oaks as firefighters continued their push to fully contain the incident.

Cal Fire’s end-of-day report on the fire, burning since early Monday morning, put the containment up to 60 percent, with the size remaining at 2,500 acres.

Conditions had improved enough in the Sulphur fire area on Friday afternoon that the Lake County Sheriff’s Office and the city of Clearlake were able to lift the remaining evacuations hours ahead of schedule.

The Sulphur fire is being managed by Cal Fire’s Incident Management Team 4 as part of the Mendocino Lake Complex, which also includes the Redwood fire in Redwood and Potter valleys.

Cal Fire said the Redwood fire, which also began on Monday, was at 34,000 acres with 20 percent containment on Friday night. Eight deaths have been confirmed in that incident so far.

One thousand structures remain threatened on the complex, and 314 homes and 167 minor structures have been destroyed by both fires, according to Cal Fire.

Officials have reported 168 structures – including 136 residences – were destroyed in the Sulphur fire alone, as Lake County News has reported. A map of the destroyed properties is below.

Cal Fire said resources assigned to the entire two-county complex include 2,230 personnel, 134 engines, 24 water tenders, 15 helicopters, 64 hand crews and 40 bulldozers.

The entire Mendocino Lake Complex is expected to be contained by Nov. 1, Cal Fire said.

Other large fire incidents continue to actively burn in neighboring Napa and Sonoma counties.

The Southern LNU Complex in Napa and Solano counties has burned 48,228 acres and is 45-percent contained. Cal Fire said it has destroyed 234 structures and is threatening another 5,000.

Resources committed to the Southern LNU Complex include 1,724 personnel, 172 engines, 18 water tenders, 21 helicopters, 24 hand crews and 23 dozers.

The Central LNU Complex burning in Napa and Sonoma counties since Sunday night has burned 92,370 acres and resulted in 17 deaths, according to Cal Fire.

That incident includes the Tubbs fire, 35,270 acres and 44-percent contained; the Pocket fire, 10,996 acres and 5-percent contained; and the Nuns fire, 46,104 acres and 10 percent contained.

Cal Fire said that group of fires is threatening 33,943 structures and has so far destroyed 2,107.

There are approximately 2,901 firefighting personnel, 321 engines, 43 water tenders, 12 helicopters, six air tankers, 59 hand crews and 62 dozers working that complex, Cal Fire reported.

Full containment on the Central LNU Complex is estimated to take place by Oct. 20, based on Cal Fire’s Friday report.

The causes of all of the region’s fires remain under investigation, Cal Fire 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.


Posted On

NORTH COAST, Calif. – The Bureau of Land Management Ukiah Field Office has issued a temporary emergency closure for the Cow Mountain Recreation Area in Mendocino and Lake counties due to fire danger.

The closure began on Thursday and remains in effect until further notice.

The Redwood and Sulphur fires, which form the Mendocino Lake Complex Incident, are in close proximity to the Cow Mountain Recreation Area.

As of Friday night, the complex has burned a total of 36,500 acres and is 22-percent contained. That includes 34,000 and 20-percent containment for the Redwood fire and 2,500 acres and 60-percent containment in the Sulphur fire.

Adverse weather conditions forecasted for this weekend are expected to hamper wildland fighting efforts.

The fire continues to burn in multiple directions, threatening numerous communities and infrastructure. Steep inaccessible terrain, coupled with critical fuel moistures, and northwest winds will provide challenges for crews working on the fire.

The public is reminded to exercise caution and be prepared to evacuate if asked to do so.
The BLM is committed to keeping the public safe, while protecting natural resources.

For more information on the Cow Mountain Recreation Area, please call the Ukiah Field Office at 707-468-4000.
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Posted On

Advisory: Evacuation advisory for Spring Valley, Clearlake Oaks has been lifted.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Lake County Sheriff's Office has issued an advisory notice that all evacuation notices for Spring Valley in Clearlake Oaks have been lifted.

New Long Valley Rd remains restricted to one way traffic until all fire apparatus can be removed.

Fire crews will remain on scene in the area throughout the night.

Posted On

LAKEPORT, Calif. – For the third time this year, authorities reported that a mountain lion has been spotted within the Lakeport city limits.

The Lakeport Police Department reported that it received a report of a mountain lion that was spotted at around 3 p.m. Friday in the in the 900 block of Page Drive

Specifically, the mountain lion was seen in the forested area between Page Drive and 19th Street, and was reported to be traveling west toward Highway 29, police said.

The lion was not acting aggressive but, as a precaution, police decided to make the public aware of the sighting.

Mountain lions are common in Lake County but rarely spotted in the populated area of the city.

However, this is the third time this year a mountain lion has been reported during daylight hours in the city.

In September, a mountain lion was seen running across Lakeshore Boulevard to the field adjacent to Lakeport Elementary School, prompting a lockdown across the entire Lakeport Unified School District campus, as Lake County News has reported.

In June a city employee reported seeing a young adult mountain lion in the Forbes Creek drainage south of the fairgrounds baseball fields and west of the Lakeport Public Works yard.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife offers the following tips for living in and staying safe in mountain lion country.

- Don’t feed deer; it is illegal in California and it will attract mountain lions.
- Deer-proof your landscaping by avoiding plants that deer like to eat. For tips, request “A Gardener’s Guide to Preventing Deer Damage” from the agency’s offices.
- Trim brush to reduce hiding places for mountain lions.
- Don’t leave small children or pets outside unattended.
- Install motion-sensitive lighting around the house.
- Provide sturdy, covered shelters for sheep, goats and other vulnerable animals.
- Don’t allow pets outside when mountain lions are most active – dawn, dusk and at night.
- Bring pet food inside to avoid attracting raccoons, opossums and other potential mountain lion prey.
- Do not hike, bike, or jog alone.
- Avoid hiking or jogging when mountain lions are most active – dawn, dusk, and at night.
- Keep a close watch on small children.
- Do not approach a mountain lion.
- If you encounter a mountain lion, do not run; instead, face the animal, make noise and try to look bigger by waving your arms; throw rocks or other objects.
- Pick up small children.
- If attacked, fight back.
- If a mountain lion attacks a person, immediately call 911.

For more information visit https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Keep-Me-Wild/Lion.
Posted On

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – Due to the current fire conditions and the amount of fire suppression resources committed to the fires in Northern California, Cal Fire has suspended all outdoor open burning within the State Responsibility Areas.

The suspension became effective at 5 p.m. Friday, Oct. 13, within the State Responsibility Areas and any Local Responsibility Areas under Cal Fire contract in the following Cal Fire units or contract county:

- Marin: Marin County;
- San Mateo: Santa Cruz serving San Mateo, Santa Cruz counties;
- Santa Clara: Serving Alameda, Contra Costa, Santa Clara and areas west of I-5 in Stanislaus and San Joaquin counties;
- Sonoma-Lake-Napa - serving Sonoma, Lake, Napa and portions of Solano, Yolo, and Colusa counties.

This burn suspension bans all outdoor burning including campfires, warming fires and ceremonial fires.

This order is made under the authority vested by the director of the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection as per section 4423.1 of the Public Resources Code.

This suspension of burning will be reassessed when critical fire conditions decline and or the amount of fire suppression resources committed to the large fires become locally available.

Cal Fire is asking residents to ensure that they are prepared for wildfires including maintaining a minimum of 100 feet of defensible space around every home.

In specific locations, campfires within organized campgrounds or on private property that are otherwise permitted by the landowner may be allowed if the campfire is maintained in a facility designed to hold a campfire and in such a manner as to prevent the fire from spreading to the wildland.

The public is cautioned that they are liable for any fire they lose control over.

For additional information on preparing for and preventing wildfires visit www.ReadyForWildfire.org.
Posted On

CLEARLAKE OAKS, Calif. – Firefighters have stopped the forward progress of a wildland fire that began early Saturday morning in Spring Valley.

The Long fire began on Spring Valley Road off of Highway 20, five miles east of Clearlake Oaks, was first reported just before 5 a.m., as Lake County News has reported.

By late Saturday morning, Cal Fire reported that firefighters had stopped the fire’s forward progress.

Just before 11 a.m., the fire was 100 acres, with containment at an estimated 10 percent, Cal Fire said.

That acreage estimate was rolled back to about 41 acres just before noon, according to reports at scene.

Initially resulting in an evacuation notice to residents of Spring Valley and New Long Valley, at about 9 a.m. Saturday the Lake County Sheriff’s Office said Spring Valley was no longer in immediate danger.

As a result, the mandatory evacuation and shelter in place orders have been lifted, according to Lt. Corey Paulich.

Residents of Spring Valley as well as residents located to the west of New Long Valley Road to Highway 53 are currently under an evacuation advisory, Paulich said. An evacuation advisory is not a mandatory evacuation.

He said residents are advised to gather their medications, pets and important papers. Residents should be prepared to leave the area with little notice. If the situation worsens the sheriff’s office will issue a mandatory evacuation notice.

Paulich said it’s anticipated that New Long Valley Road will be reduced to one-way controlled traffic for most of the day.

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.
Posted On

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – As fires continue to burn around the region, on Friday Napa County Public Health Officer Dr. Karen Relucio declared a local health emergency throughout the county due to the hazardous waste and materials created by the 2017 Napa Fire Complex.

Relucio also has ordered the removal of the hazardous materials.

Officials said the declaration of a local health emergency establishes access to necessary resources to remove materials that create an imminent threat to public health and safety.

The Napa County Board of Supervisors must review and ratify this declaration within seven days.

On Friday night Cal Fire said the Atlas fire, or the Southern LNU Complex, had burned 48,228 acres in Napa and Solano counties since Sunday night and is 45-percent contained. More than 1,700 firefighters are assigned to the incident.

Evacuations remain in place in Napa and Solano counties due to the fire, which has so far destroyed 234 structures and is threatening 5,000 more, Cal Fire said.

Burning within Napa and Sonoma counties is the 92,370-acre Central LNU Complex, which includes the Tubbs fire, at 35,270 aces and 44-percent containment; the Nuns fire, 46,104 acres and 10-percent containment; and the Pocket fire, 10,996 acres and 5-percent contained. 

On Friday, the Napa County Sheriff’s Office said the death toll in the county due fires has risen to four.

On Thursday morning, two bodies were found at a residence in the 2300 block of Atlas Peak Road. The home belonged to 89-year-old Dr. George Chaney and 79-year-old Edward Stone. Chaney has been positively identified, and Stone is believed to be the second victim, authorities said.

Earlier this week, officials confirmed the deaths of a Napa couple, 100-year-old Charles Rippey and his wife, Sara, 98, in the Atlas fire.

The Napa County Sheriff’s Office said it is continuing the search for possible victims in the fires.

On Friday, Congressman Mike Thompson – who represents Napa County as well as southern Lake County – said Napa and Sonoma County residents who suffered damage or losses from the fires can now register for disaster assistance with the Federal Emergency Management Agency as a result of the presidential disaster declaration issued on Tuesday.

To apply for assistance visit www.fema.gov/disaster/4344.

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.
Posted On

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – A red flag warning is in effect for most parts of California. The red flag warning is now in effect from 11 p.m. Friday 8 a.m. Sunday.

Conditions including high winds, low relative humidity and dry brush contribute to extreme fire danger.

Fire and public safety officials strongly suggest against risky, heat generating behavior during red flag conditions.

Those behaviors include, among other things, mowing, driving in brush, chain saws, BBQ, open fire, flicking cigarettes or anything that generates heat.

Please share this public service message and avoid risking another fire.
Posted On

CLEARLAKE OAKS, Calif. – A new wildland fire began early Saturday morning in the Spring Valley community.

The Long fire on Spring Valley Road off of Highway 20, five miles east of Clearlake Oaks, was first reported just before 5 a.m., according to reports from Cal Fire and the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.

About an hour after dispatch, the sheriff’s office ordered residents in the Spring Valley and New Long Valley areas to evacuate to the Spring Valley Community Center, located on Wolf Creek Road, or to shelter in place because of the fire.

Cal Fire Division Chief Greg Bertelli said significant resources have been assigned to the fire and that they are making good progress.

However, he said they are not out of the woods yet on the firefighting effort.

The sheriff’s office said at around 7:20 a.m. that the fire is burning west and away from the Spring Valley community, with several fire units on scene fighting the fire.

At that point, the sheriff’s office was continuing to order residents in the area to shelter in place.

Early estimates put the fire at about 20 acres, but Bertelli estimated at around 7:45 a.m. that the fire potentially was going to be more than 50 acres.

He said wind speeds in the area are expected to peak at about 9 a.m. Saturday.

More information will be posted 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.
Posted On

Smoke from wildland fires around Northern California continued to impact air quality on Friday, October 13, 2017. Image courtesy of NASA.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – As firefighters raise containment on the Sulphur fire in Lake County and other major incidents around the region, air quality officials are continuing to issue alerts due to degraded air quality.

The Lake County Air Quality Management District said air quality moved into the “moderate” to “unhealthy for everyone” range, a slight improvement over conditions earlier this week.

Air Pollution Control Officer Doug Gearhart said the smoke and haze currently visible through areas of Lake County are primarily the result of the Tubbs fire in Napa and Sonoma counties, the Pocket fire in Sonoma County and the Redwood Complex fire in Mendocino County. Other active fires in Northern California may add to the smoke impacts in Lake County.

The “moderate” to “unhealthy for everyone” air quality alert results from the variable weather conditions experienced in Lake County and the forecast for extended smoke impacts, and impacts from other air pollutants in the smoke lingering in Lake County until conditions change, Gearhart said.

Gearhart said the district is actively monitoring the smoke impacts.

Current particulate levels in Lake County are in the range from “moderate” in the Middletown and Hidden Valley Lake areas to “unhealthy for sensitive individuals” range in the northern portions of the county, according to Gearhart's report.

He said the highest levels of smoke are expected to continue through the weekend, though the models indicate the county will continue to see some winds today which could significantly improve air quality in Lake County. With the expected winds, fire activity may increase, increasing smoke levels in the county.

All areas may experience “unhealthy” air quality, and individuals should take precautions. Gearhart said the smoke is expected to remain in Lake County through the weekend, though there may be improved or degraded air quality as the winds shift through the next few days. Conditions can change quickly.

Smoky conditions can cause irritation of the eyes, nose and air passages. These conditions can be hazardous for sensitive individuals including children, the elderly, individuals with heart conditions, and those with chronic lung disease such as asthma, bronchitis, and other respiratory conditions.

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.

Officials said such individuals 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.

If you cannot leave the smoky area, good ways to protect your lungs from wildfire smoke include staying indoors and reducing physical activity. Wearing an air purifying respirator can also help protect your lungs from wildfire smoke.

Air purifying respirators, such as N-95 or P100 filtering face pieces, may be effective in reducing some of the harmful particulate matter, but they also increase the work of breathing, can lead to physiologic stress, and are not recommended as a general protective measure.

Dust masks are not protective against the ultrafine particulate, which is the pollutant most detrimental to health caused by wildfire smoke.

With air quality forecast to be in the “moderate” to “unhealthy” range, people are recommended to use caution, avoid strenuous activity, avoid outdoor activities when possible, and reduce other sources of air pollution (such as smoking, use of aerosol products, frying or broiling meats, burning candles, vacuuming, etc.) and be prepared for rapidly changing conditions.

Localized areas of very unhealthy or hazardous air quality, regional haze, and particulate from these fires can be expected until the regional fires are fully contained and the weather pattern shifts to clear the smoke. Take appropriate measures until the smoke clears.
Posted On

CLEARLAKE, Calif., -- The Sulphur Fire is estimated to be at approximately 55% containment and fire personnel continue to make progress in suppressing the fire. Power is in the process of being restored, the roads are being cleared of debris, and emergency personnel.

The mandatory evacuation order for the Sulphur Fire has been lifted allowing for the repopulation of the affected areas. The area will remain under an evacuation advisory. An advisory status means returning residents should stay vigilant, and be prepared to evacuate again on short notice.

Due to ongoing power restoration efforts by PG&E access to all areas west of Mendocino Avenue will be via North Road.

There will be a 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. curfew in effect in areas that are still without power. Anyone caught roaming within that area will be subject to possible arrest. Anyone seeing suspicious activity should report it to authorities immediately.

Drones are prohibited as they may interfere with ongoing aerial fire suppression operations.

Fire personnel request that all residents be alert to fire crews and other emergency staff that will be assessing damage throughout the region. Please use caution around any fire impacted areas and report any hazards or hazardous
conditions.

PG&E is working to return power to those areas that are no longer under mandatory evacuation. Spoiled food should be disposed of appropriately. Additional details will be forthcoming via Nixle.

Cooperating Agencies: Lake County; Lake County Sheriff’s Office; Mendocino County; Lake County Fire Protection District; City of Clearlake; CAL OES; California Highway Patrol; CALTRANS; California Dept. of Corrections and Rehabilitation; American Red Cross; PG&E; United States Forest Service; California National Guard; National Weather Service; California Conservation Corps.

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