LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Was it the wine, the pork noshes or just plain Lake County hospitality that created that special Lake County wine experience?

The 2014 Lake County Wine Adventure the last weekend in July was hands down the best one yet, according to organizers.

And to prove it, the Lake County Winery Association (LCWA) invited participants to cast their votes for winery with best food and wine, winery with best hospitality and winery with best overall experience.

The votes are in and the ballots have been counted: Gregory Graham Wines was the must-visit hot spot for 2014.

Gregory Graham Wines and host Greg Graham swept all three contest categories.

Graham’s Baconfest featured four specially selected wines paired with delicious pork offerings to bring out the best in the wines.

Guests sipped the wine and savored the pairings in the patio area shade under the welcome mister spray to quench the afternoon sun. Out on the crush pad, revelers could sit a spell and enjoy their wine or dance to the music of the California Cowboys.

Chacewater Winery and Olive Mill and Six Sigma Ranch and Winery shared second and third place recognition, respectively, in the contest categories.

Chacewater’s crush pad was rocking and rolling. Always a favorite Wine Adventure stop, guests enjoyed sampling Chacewater’s awardwinning wines and noshed on their famous pork carnitas.

Chacewater won second place in the winery with best food and wine category. They enjoyed third place ranking for winery with best hospitality and winery with best overall experience.

Six Sigma Ranch & Winery rounded out the winners with a second place finish in the winery with best hospitality and best overall experience and third place in winery with best food and wine.

Six Sigma pulled out all of the stops with a pig roast accompanied by their tasty Tempranillo for this year’s Wine Adventure. Guests enjoyed tours in the Six Sigma pinzgauer, feasting their eyes on the beauty of the historic ranch lands.

The best winery contest was a new addition to the annual Wine Adventure this year.

“This idea was suggested by Megan Hoberg of Cache Creek Vineyards as a way to recognize and celebrate the hard work of the winery teams that put this event on each year,” according to association Director Terry Dereniuk.“While top honors went to Graham, Chacewater and Six Sigma, all of the participating wineries had fans who cast their votes in their favor and enjoyed the warm welcome of the Lake County wine experience.”

The dates for the 2015 Wine Adventure have been set.

Mark your calendar for May 16 and 17, 2015, for the next Wine Adventure weekend.

Other upcoming events include Give the Gift of Wine Holiday Open House Dec. 5, 6, and 7, and the public tasting and People’s Choice on July 25, 2015.

LCWA works to promote the wines of Lake County’s high elevation region. Membership is open to wineries, winegrape growers, and individuals or businesses interested in promoting the Lake County wine industry.

For more information about upcoming events, sponsorship or membership opportunities, call 707-357-5237 or visit www.lakecountywineries.org .

A Tuesday afternoon crash claimed the life of a Cal Fire airtanker pilot working on a wildland fire near Yosemite National Park.

As of Wednesday morning, the pilot's name had not been released. The pilot’s family requested the name be withheld until all immediate family could be notified.

“This crash underscores just how inherently dangerous wildland firefighting is and the job is  further compounded this year by extreme fire conditions,” said Chief Ken Pimlott, Cal Fire director. “We have secured the crash site and will be cooperating with the National Transportation Safety Board on their investigation.”

Cal Fire officials said contact was lost with the airtanker as it was flying over the Dog Rock Fire, which broke out Tuesday afternoon and has burned about 130 acres near Yosemite.

Emergency personnel responded to the last known location of the aircraft, and were able to access the crash scene Thursday night after working through difficult terrain. After arriving at the scene they found the pilot had died.

The S-2T tanker – known as Tanker 81 – was based out of the Hollister Air Attack Base.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the pilot’s family during this difficult time,” said Jeff Cavarra, program director for DynCorp International.

CAL FIRE operates 22 other Grumman S-2T airtankers across California.

KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – Since 1998, Domestic Violence Awareness Month has been observed across the United States during the month of October.

This year, Lake Family Resource Center will participate in Domestic Violence Awareness Month by joining the California Partnership to End Domestic Violence’s #InterceptDV Campaign and hosting advocacy walks to end domestic violence.

The first event taking place – inspired by “Because We Have Daughters” – will be a “No Tolerance Football Walk” to end domestic violence on Friday, Oct. 10, at the Kelseyville High School football field.

During the varsity halftime event, females and especially males are encouraged to join the walk around the football field in high heels. This is way for male figures to make a statement that domestic violence will not be tolerated in our schools and community.

Be sure to arrive at the game early so that you do not miss this entertaining event and to receive a free purple wrist band.

The #InterceptDV effort is meant to urge all Californians to act and join the growing movement to end domestic violence.

Football players and other athletes in the state are encouraged to participate in the campaign, as they have a unique opportunity to show their fans that they value healthy relationships.

The second event will be held on Saturday, Oct. 11, at 9 a.m. – rain or shine – at Lake Family Resource Center, 5350 Main St. in Kelseyville. Parking is available at the lower parking lot of Kelseyville High School.

The town of Kelseyville will be decorated in purple as the inaugural Purple Power Walk to End Domestic Violence will take place.

Participants are encouraged to raise awareness of the issue by embracing the color purple – the symbolic hue for domestic violence awareness.

The walk is a nontimed and free event, however, donations are gratefully accepted.

There also will be chances to win raffle prizes after the walk. Once the walk is completed, refreshments will be offered by Big Valley Rancheria, an event co-sponsor.

A tour of Freedom House, Lake County’s only domestic violence shelter, will follow the Purple Power Walk.

Freedom House has been providing services to victims of domestic violence and sexual assault in Lake County for more than 13 years.

Services include emergency shelter, case management, counseling, legal advocacy, accompaniment, youth services, safety planning and assistance with crime victims compensation claims.  

Staff are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. All services are free and confidential.

The #InterceptDV campaign title not only refers to the need for the state to intercept the crisis of domestic violence, it also highlights role of individuals to commit to this concept in their own lives.

When people take the #InterceptDV Challenge, they promise to:

– Pledge intercept and intervene in abusive relationships, contact their local domestic violence organizations to donate and/or volunteer;
– Record their best interception, and post it to their social networks with the hashtag #InterceptDV;
– Tag three friends and ask them to take the #InterceptDV Challenge.

It takes a coordinated effort by all corners of the community – law enforcement, advocates, community groups, and schools – to combat the scourge of domestic violence and declare that it will not be tolerated in the community.

Lake Family Resource Center works to focus awareness on the tragedy of domestic violence in the hope of ending it in Lake County.

The agency provides a multitude of services to build family stability and strength, and supports Lake County residents in achieving stable, self-sufficient, and healthy families and communities.

Call Lake Family Resource Center at 707-279-0563 for more information on the events or its services.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Residents in south Lake County are invited to attend informative town hall meetings featuring news and updates on Measure O and Measure P, the two marijuana cultivation ballot measures appearing on the November election ballot.

The meetings – which will take place on Thursday, Oct. 9, and Thursday, Oct. 16 – will offer information about the ballot measures and revisit the benefits of Measure N, voted in by a majority of Lake County citizens in the June primary election.

The first event is the monthly Middletown Area Town Hall (MATH) meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 9, at the Middletown Community Center Activity Room in the new county senior center and library building located on Calistoga Road (Highway 29) in downtown Middletown.

This meeting is open to the public.

Hidden Valley Lake residents are encouraged to attend a special meeting at the Hidden Valley Lake Community Center in Hidden Valley Lake at 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 16, hosted by the Protect Our Lake County Committee, which has formed to oppose measures O and P.

The one-hour meeting will focus on the potential impacts of measures O and P within the community and within the Hidden Valley Lake Home Owners Association.

Measure O, titled the “Medical Marijuana Control Act,” and Measure P, “The Freedom to Garden Human Rights Restoration Act of 2014” are both cannabis cultivation measures authored by pro-marijuana activists.

A yes vote in November for either O or P results in more lenient regulations for cannabis cultivation while a no vote keeps the voter-approved Measure N county ordinance in place. That measure, among other things, prevents outdoor grows within community growth boundaries and also governs the size of indoor grows.

District 1 Supervisor Jim Comstock, will be on hand to answer questions along with Beau Moore of Cobb, Monica Rosenthal of Middletown and other committee members representing Protect Our Lake County.

If you are unable to attend but would like more information contact Rosenthal at monica@protectourlakecounty or go to www.ProtectOurLakeCounty.com .

KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – An online fundraiser has been started to help a family whose home burned last Wednesday morning.

The fundraiser can be found at http://www.youcaring.com/help-a-neighbor/help-my-sisters-family-get-in-another-home-after-fire-/242492 .

Nikki Wilbur launched the effort to raise $3,000 in order help her sister, Amber Alves, who along with husband, Lucas, 2-year-old daughter, Julianne, mother-in-law Gloria Alves and Gloria's boyfriend, Alex Ramirez, were displaced when their home at 8925 Soda Bay Road was destroyed last week.

“It just happened so fast,” Amber Alves said.

Amber and Lucas Alves have been living at the address for about three years, she said.

On the morning of Oct. 1, Amber Alves – who works as a dispatcher for Gossett Alarm in Lakeport – got off work and arrived at around 12:40 a.m. to the modular home, which was located at the Bayview Terrace mobile home park.

Everyone was settled in for the night. Then, she said, “We heard something crackling outside.”

She looked out to see the modular was on fire. Everyone was awakened, they grabbed the baby and got out as quickly as they could.

Firefighters were dispatched to the incident just before 1 a.m., according to radio reports. Fire officials reported that, by the time firefighters arrived, the home was fully involved.

“We don't know what caused it,” Alves said.

She credited firefighters with doing a great job of keeping the fire from spreading into the wildland on Mt. Konocti or from damaging neighboring homes.

Alves went back into the house to find a cat, which at that point she couldn't find, and managed to get out uninjured.

While some possessions were rescued, many sentimental and valuable personal items were lost, including all of their pictures of Julianne, also known as “Zabo.”

Their missing orange cat would turn up a few days later, coated with black from the fire, Alves said.

Overall, she said her family was “super lucky” to have gotten out safely.

Now, they're trying to find a new place to live.

Red Cross offered them temporary housing, but Alves said they didn't want to take it because they felt others might need it more. Instead, they are staying with her sister-in-law, but quarters are cramped, as nine people are now sharing that two-bedroom home.

“We just want to get into a new place,” Alves said.

Red Cross gave them enough money to each buy a few outfits, and they have received clothing donations and items for the baby.

“We have to replace everything,” Alves said.

Gossett Alarm, Alves said, “has been great to us, too,” and is helping them out.

For those wanting to make donations of clothes and other items, Alves can be contacted through the fundraiser Web page or at 707-245-1448.

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.

NORTH COAST, Calif. – A 3.4-magnitude earthquake was reported near Covelo Monday night.

The quake occurred at 9:03 p.m., according to the US Geological Survey.

It was centered 24 miles north of Covelo, 50 miles west of Red Bluff and 52 miles southwest of Redding, at a depth of 22.9 miles, the survey said.

On Monday night, shake reports were submitted to the survey by residents of Samoa in Humboldt County.

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.

NORTH COAST, Calif. – In honor of National Fire Prevention Week, Cal Fire Sonoma-Lake-Napa Unit will host open houses and open fire stations on Saturday, Oct. 11, from 9 a.m. to noon.

“Open houses provide the community and fire service personnel an opportunity to discuss fire and life safety actions, outside of an emergency incident,” Sonoma-Lake-Napa Unit Chief Scott Upton said.

Chief Upton invites all to visit the fire house, take a tour of the fire station, see the equipment close up and visit with Cal Fire personnel.

The 2014 National Fire Prevention Week theme is “Working Smoke Alarms Save Lives! Test Yours Every Month.”

Some families choose the first day of the month or the last day of the month to check their smoke alarm. What day of the month does your family test their smoke alarm?

Chief Upton and fire service personnel encourage you and your family to stop by the stations Oct. 11.

The following is a list of Cal Fire facilities hosting open houses on Oct. 11.

LAKE COUNTY

– Middletown, 15522 Lake St.
– Kelsey Cobb, 8948 Highway 175
– Clearlake Oaks, 140 Spring Road

NAPA COUNTY

– Yountville, 7401 Solano Ave.

SONOMA COUNTY

– Cazadero, 4600 Cazadero Highway
– Hilton, 12604 River Road
– The Sea Ranch, 960 Annapolis Road
– Cloverdale, 1001 Cloverdale Blvd.
– Santa Rosa, 2210 W. College Ave.
– Occidental, 3100 Acreage Lane
– Glen Ellen, 14000 Sonoma Highway
– Petaluma, 655 Lohrman Lane
– Cloverdale, 1001 Cloverdale Blvd.

YOLO COUNTY

– Brooks, 14023 Highway 16

LOWER LAKE, Calif. – Faced with a critical shortage of classroom space, this week the Konocti Unified School District Board of Trustees will hold a workshop to consider options for maximizing school facilities, including moving eighth graders to the Lower Lake High School campus beginning next year.

The board will hold the special facilities planning workshop beginning at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 8, in the Carol McClung Conference Center, 9430-B Lake St. in Lower Lake.

The Wednesday workshop is for discussion only, with no action to take place. Any financing and program changes the board wants to pursue would be placed on a future agenda, according to district documents.

Superintendent Donna Becnel's report to the board for the facility needs workshop explains that the board adopted the district's Facilities Master Plan Update at its June 18 meeting.

“Some of the individual projects could be completed within our current financial infrastructure, but the combination of facilities projects have large financial implication. These are large scale projects and are beyond the scope of maintenance,” Becnel said.

She said most of of the projects will require additional financing.

At the June meeting, the board and staff discussed projected facilities costs but didn't discuss funding mechanisms for the projects. “Since that time, staff reviewed our current enrollment and available facilities; discussed financing with borrowing/bonding agents; and reviewed initial concepts with management and teachers,” Becnel wrote.

Becnel said the most critical area regarding facilities is the classroom space available at the district's transitional kindergarten through eighth grade schools, noting that Burns Valley, Pomo and Lower Lake Elementary are at capacity for room utilization.

The district has in this fiscal year added 10 additional classrooms to accommodate more classes, which was done through a combination of utilizing existing space and adding another portable to Burns Valley, Becnel said.

Becnel said the former Lewis School building across from Lower Lake Elementary is being remodeled to accommodate two transitional kindergarten classes.

As a result, the district has nearly eliminated classroom space that will be needed for expanding programs such as music, art and foreign language, said Becnel.

Placing additional portable classrooms at school sites isn't an option due to a lack of available land, Becnel said. At the same time, the district's growth is anticipated to continue over the next few years.

Becnel said that the most viable option to maximize the district's space is to move the eighth grade to Lower Lake High School.

With 100 Lower Lake High students to attend the health occupations magnet high school at the Konocti Education Center, and with the current seventh graders – next year's eighth graders – numbering 220, the net increase for the Lower Lake High campus would be 120 students, according to Becnel's report.

The Wednesday workshop will include a discussion on current enrollment and facilities use; pros and cons – as well as logistics – of moving eighth graders to Lower Lake High; solar updates; other master facilities plan projects; and financing, Becnel 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.

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – The search for an elderly Belmont man who took a road trip to Siskiyou County early last month is believed to have come to an end with the discovery over the weekend of human remains near Burney.

Paul Merrill, 87, was reported missing and overdue by his family after he failed to return from a road trip to McCloud, as Lake County News has reported.

On Saturday, days after Merrill's classic Mercedes was found in a remote area near Burney, Shasta County Search & Rescue located human remains near where the car had been discovered off a dirt road.

The agency said the remains were turned over to the Shasta County Coroner’s Office for further investigation and identification.

“They're fairly confident that it's Mr. Merrill,” Capt. Patrick Halleran of the Belmont Police Department – which has been the lead agency on the Merrill investigation – told Lake County News Monday.

In a brief Facebook post on Sunday, Merrill's family said that they were awaiting final confirmation but also believed the remains were his.

The family also offered thanks for the “outpouring of help” to the thousands of people who had shared posts, prayers and good wishes for his return.

Merrill's family said he had left on Sept. 3 in his silver 1956 Mercedes 190SL, taking the trip in an effort to recreate “romantic memories” that he had shared with his wife, who died last year.

A family member reported Merrill missing to the Belmont Police Department on Sept. 4 after he had not been heard from after checking out of a hotel in McCloud, in Siskiyou County. He had been seen at a McCloud gas station that day.

The California Highway Patrol issued a Silver Alert across Northern California for him on the morning of Sept. 5, and law enforcement also issued be on the lookout messages for Merrill and his Mercedes. In addition, his family offered a $5,000 reward for information leading to his discovery.

After an extensive search effort that lasted over several days by Siskiyou County Sheriff's Office, the investigation shifted to the Redding area in Shasta County on Sept. 16, following reported sightings in that area.

The “Find Paul Merrill” Facebook page went viral as thousands of people around Northern California joined in the effort to locate him. Some unconfirmed reports indicated that people believed they saw him in Clearlake and other parts of the North Coast.

However, based on where Merrill's car ultimately was discovered, it appears unlikely that he had come farther south than Shasta County.

Last Thursday, the Mercedes was discovered in a remote near Burney and north of Big Bend, according to the Shasta County Sheriff's Office.

Halleran said a rancher clearing brush on his 500-acre property in the area found the Mercedes off a dirt road. Merrill's wallet, car keys and other personal items were in the vehicle.

While Halleran had no estimate of how long the car had been there, he said it was filled with leaves and water, leading investigators to believe it had been in that spot since the last rain, about two weeks ago.

“We're dealing with a pretty large window of time,” Halleran said.

On Friday the Shasta County Sheriff's Office launched a search of the rugged, heavily wooded area with the assistance of CHP Air Operations, Halleran said.

On Saturday, the searchers located the human remains approximately 100 yards from Merrill's car, in heavily wooded and steep terrain. Halleran said that all indications are that the remains are Merrill's.

“We don't believe that there's any foul play,” Halleran said, adding there also appears to be no indication of suicide.

As to what ultimately happened to Merrill, Halleran said at this point investigators can only speculate.

Based on the information so far, it appears that Merrill had driven off the road and into some bushes. He may have become stranded, or had some kind of medical issue like a heart attack or suffered a fall. Deputies who had first arrived in the area also spotted bears, according to Halleran.

“We don't know what the cause of death is. We'll probably never know,” Halleran said.

The Belmont Police Department thanked the Siskiyou County Sheriff's Office, Shasta County Sheriff's Office, Redding Police Department and the California Highway Patrol for their support and assistance during the search for Merrill, as well as the media outlets who covered the story and the public who provided tips during the investigation.

The agency also offered its condolences to the Merrill family.

“It's a tragic ending to the story but at least the family has some closure,” Halleran said. “They're not just wondering what happened.”

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.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced Wednesday that it has reached a discrimination settlement agreement with a Napa Valley apartment owner and charged the owners of a Lenexa, Kansas, apartment complex with discrimination as a result of management at the two sites allegedly putting overly restrictive rules into place to control the free movement of children.

Allegations include management placing restrictions on children playing outside, and in one case forcing children to clean the manager’s office toilet when the youths were found outside unaccompanied by an adult.

The Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination in the sale, rental, and financing of dwellings, based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status, and disability. This includes setting rules that discriminate against families with children.

“Placing special rules on families with children unfairly singles them out and creates a hostile living environment that is authoritarian and unequal,” said Gustavo Velasquez, HUD assistant secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity. “The Fair Housing Act protects the rights of families with children to enjoy their homes the same way as other households.”

In Napa Valley, seven affected families and the nonprofit group Fair Housing of Napa Valley filed complaints with HUD alleging that the manager at the River Park Manor Apartments cursed at children when he found them playing outside unaccompanied, and then ordered the children to his office and instructed them to sit on the floor.

HUD’s charge further alleges that once at the office, the manager required the children to clean the office toilet and pick up trash around the complex, and threatened them by telling them that their families may be evicted if they did not comply with his instructions.

The apartments also had a rule prohibiting children from using the swimming pool during certain hours.

Under the terms of the agreement, the owners and manager of River Park Manor Apartments will pay Fair Housing of Napa Valley $3,750; waive four months of rent for five of the families (a total monetary value of $19,000); pay two former tenants a total of $7,000; eliminate the rule that limits pool usage by children during the day; and obtain fair housing training for employees.

In a separate case, HUD charged the owners and property managers of The Reserve Apartments in Lenexa, Kansas, with violating the Fair Housing Act when they allegedly instituted a policy that prohibited children under the age of 16 from freely using the common areas of the property.

According to HUD’s charge, the property’s policies allegedly required children to be supervised by an adult at all times and prohibited youth from playing anywhere on the property except the playground.

The rules also allegedly prohibited kids from playing any team sports on the property, and from riding bicycles, skateboards, or scooters on the property.

One of the affected families was a single mother who had a 14-year-old son. When she complained that her son was essentially on “lockdown,” the management office allegedly refused to renew the family’s lease in retaliation.

A United States Administrative Law Judge will hear the charge unless any party to the charge elects to have the case heard in federal district court.

If you have been trying to buy or rent a home or apartment and you believe your civil rights have been violated you can report it online at www.hud.gov/fairhousing , call 1-800-669-9777, TTY 1-800-927-9275 or by downloading HUD’s free housing discrimination mobile application, which can be accessed through Apple devices, such as the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – Appreciation for notable city projects completed over the last several years, a lot line adjustment and a variance for a fence are on the Lakeport Planning Commission's agenda when it meets next week.

The meeting will begin at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 8, in the council chambers at Lakeport City Hall, 225 Park St.

The commission will present a number of notable commercial construction and remodeling programs completed since 2011 with certificates of appreciation.

In other business, the commission will consider a lot line adjustment application from Kelli Brown and Mark Mitchell.

Brown and Mitchell are seeking the adjustment to reconfigure the common property line separating two contiguous parcels at 215 Armstrong St.

Also on the Wednesday agenda, the commission will discuss Richard Rath's application for a variation for a residential fence that will exceed height limits at 520 Hillcrest Drive.

Rath is seeking to install 84 feet of 6-foot by 8-foot-long redwood fence panels to enclose the rear of the property and 348 feet of 4-foot-high black vinyl chain link fencing around the remaining perimeter.

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. – Firefighters on Monday quickly contained two wildland fires, keeping the acreage small on both incidents thanks to fast responses.

Cal Fire Battalion Chief Mike Wink said the fires occurred in the Kelseyville and Lower Lake areas.

The first fire, which burned about a quarter of an acre, was located in the area of Highway 175 and Wildcat Road near Kelseyville, Wink said.

Radio reports indicated that the fire was dispatched at around 10 a.m., with Kelseyville Fire and Cal Fire responding.

Wink said firefighters had to contend with downed power lines while responding to the fire, which was contained in about 45 minutes.

The second fire, reported at approximately 1:06 p.m., was located in the area of Noble Ranch Road and Rocky Trail near Lower Lake, Wink said.

Lake County Fire Protection District and Cal Fire responded, holding the fire to an acre and a half and containing it by 1:50 p.m., according to Wink.

Wink said the response included a chief officer, one water tender, one ambulance, two engines and a chief officer from Lake County Fire, and five engines, two bulldozers, two hand crews, three air tankers, one air attack and one helicopter from Cal Fire.

Investigators are looking into the causes of both fires, Wink said.

Weather conditions remain hotter than normal for the season, with Wink noting that on Monday it was 94 degrees with 20-percent humidity.

He said the burn ban has not been lifted yet, and urged community members to continue to use extreme caution due to the very dry conditions.

Wink said it remains important to maintain defensible space from structures, and he advised that anyone seeing a fire should immediately call 911.

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.