Friday, 29 November 2024

Register

News

Posted On

The August Complex in the Mendocino National Forest in Northern California on Thursday, August 20, 2020. Photo by John Crotty, Air Ops, US Forest Service.


NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – A lightning-caused complex of fires that began on Sunday in the Mendocino National Forest has continued its massive growth, nearly doubling overnight.

The August Complex has burned 116,372 acres, US Forest Service officials reported on Thursday afternoon, up from 65,030 acres reported the night before. It is 3 percent contained.

The complex is made up of 35 fires that were started by lightning across the Mendocino National Forest, most of them burning on the Glenn County side of the forest.

The Thursday report said firefighters have been facing light downslope winds, continuous fuels and very dry fuels, which have kept the fire active.

Structures and power lines are being threatened, and many of the homes and summer cabins have been evacuated within the perimeter of the forest, officials said.

On Thursday, the focus for firefighters is the complex’s east side, with crews going direct where possible while protecting structures and private property.

The Forest Service reported that 293 firefighters and 69 overhead or command personnel are assigned to the fire, along with 15 engines, two helicopters, five bulldozers, five water tenders and six fire crews.

The Glenn County Sheriff’s Office has issued a mandatory evacuation order for all areas west of County Road 306 for the full length of Glenn County from the Tehama County line in the north to the Colusa County line in the South, and all areas west to the Mendocino County line.

Evacuation warnings also have been instituted for the area of Newville from County Road 306 along County Road 200 to Black Butte Lake and for the Grindstone Rancheria.

Road closures also are in effect on Highway 162 east of County Road 306, County Road 306 from County Road 303 to the north, County Road 306 from County Road 200 to the south, County Road 200 from County Road 306 west and County Road 308 from County Road 306 to West End.

A temporary evacuation point is located at Willows City Hall, 201 N. Lassen St., with sheltering for animals at the Glenn County Fairgrounds, 221 E. Yolo St. in Orland, telephone 530-720-7252.

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. – With the very hot weather and smoky conditions Lake County is facing, Lake County Public Health wants to remind everyone of some simple ways to find relief that could be important to your health.

“Efforts to tolerate the extreme heat are more complicated this year due to the COVID pandemic, but there are still some actions you can take,” said Public Health Officer Dr. GaryPace.

Pace said some people are at particular risk for suffering heat illness due to an impaired ability to sweat and control their body temperature. These include the very young and those of advanced age, as well as people taking certain medications.

Check with your doctor or pharmacist if you are uncertain about how your medications may affect you. Examples of medications that increase the risk of heat-related illness include diuretics (“water pills”), some medications used for mental health conditions, antihistamines, and drugs used for overactive bladder, Pace said.

Pace said things you can do to cool off are:

– Drink more water than usual and don’t wait until you’re thirsty;
– Wear loosely fitting, light-colored, breathable clothes;
– Keep your physical activity low;
– Drink cool non-alcoholic beverages and choose salads, cold sandwiches and frozen treats over hot meals;
– Apply cool compresses, such as wet towels, to exposed skin, or take a cool shower or bath;
– Avoid use of ovens, stoves, or other heat-generating appliances indoors.

Remember, running a fan will help cool you off only if there is sweat or moisture evaporating from your skin, Pace said.

“If you need relief from hot conditions in your home, in past years we have recommended going to public places with air conditioning, such as local libraries, senior centers, restaurants, and shopping centers,” Pace said. “Many of these places are not available this year due to the COVID concerns. Senior centers are closed. You can still go to shopping centers, but often the seating areas are not open. Going to visit friends who have air conditioning can also pose a problem due to needs to social distance.”

Per County Librarian Christopher Veach, the Lakeport and Redbud libraries are both open their normal hours, and freely accessible to the public. Both facilities are being cooled, and may be utilized on a limited basis by members of the community. If either reaches capacity, a one-hour time limit will be enforced, Pace said.

Pace said the Middletown Library is open by appointment only, but can still serve as a cooling center for a one-hour appointment. Upper Lake Library is too small to function as a cooling center.

Location, hours and contact information for the libraries is as follows:

– Lakeport Library, ‪1425 N. High St., telephone 707-263-8817; Tuesdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Wednesdays, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Thursdays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

– Redbud Library, ‪14785 Burns Valley Road, ‪Clearlake, telephone 707-994-5115; Tuesdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Wednesdays, noon to 7 p.m.; Thursdays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

– Middletown Library, ‪21256 Washington St., telephone 707-987-3674; open by appointment only.

Pace said to monitor how you feel and how friends and family members appear. “Signs and symptoms of heat illness can be easily overlooked in the early stages and it is important to take action early in order to prevent heat exhaustion from progressing to the more serious condition of heatstroke.”

He added, “If you notice heavy sweating, feeling weak or dizzy, nausea or muscle cramps, move to a cool place, sip water, and put cool wet cloths on your body. If this does not improve the symptoms within an hour, medical evaluation is advisable.”

People who develop mental confusion, feel faint or pass out and have hot dry skin (indicating that they are not capable of sweating in order to cool off), have a medical emergency that needs immediate treatment, he said.

He also said to remember to protect pets by keeping them indoors (never in a car) or in the shade with plenty of cool water to drink.

For more information on how to beat the heat, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or California Office of Emergency Services websites.
Posted On

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County’s Public Health officer reported on Wednesday that the county has had its third COVID-19-related death.

Dr. Gary Pace said the individual died on Wednesday.

“This person was younger than 65, and recently entered the hospital with symptoms consistent with COVID-19,” Pace said.

“We send our deepest condolences to all of those connected to this individual. To protect the privacy of this person and their family, we will not be giving out any further information at this time,” Pace said.

Lake County’s two previous deaths related to COVID-19 were announced on July 3 and Aug. 5, as Lake County News has reported.

Pace explained in a previous interview that the presumed cause of death is determined by the individual’s attending doctor, not Public Health, and that people aren’t identified as having COVID-19 without a positive test.

He said the cause of death is usually decided based on a number of factors, including underlying conditions, symptom progression and recent test results, with autopsies typically not required if the illness follows an expected course.

Lake County’s total COVID-19 caseload on Wednesday had risen to 281 cases, of which 21 are active, none are hospitalized and 257 are recovered, according to the Public Health COVID-19 dashboard.

Statewide, county Public Health departments on Wednesday reported more than 641,000 COVID-19 cases and 11,500 deaths.

The announcement of Lake County’s third COVID-19 death followed by a day the Board of Supervisors’ action to approve a second reading of an ordinance to enforce COVID-19 Public Health orders that require masking and social distancing. It will go into effect 30 days from the approval.

Pace said the latest death “is another tragic reminder that all Lake County residents must take precautions that can slow the spread of this virus.”

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.

Blog Left ad
Posted On

Clearlake Police detectives investigate the scene of a shooting in Clearlake, California, on Wednesday, August 19, 2020. Photo courtesy of Chief Andrew White.

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Clearlake Police officers early Thursday were on scene investigating a shooting that sent two people to the hospital.

Chief Andrew White said the shooting occurred at Twin Oaks Village, located at 5755 Old Highway 53.

At approximately 9:11 p.m. Wednesday, officers responded to a report of shots fired at the location, White said.

When officers arrived, White said they located numerous subjects, two of them suffering from gunshot wounds.

While attempting to detain the persons involved, one subject ran but was quickly detained by another officer, White said.

White said detectives responded to the scene along with investigators from the Lake County District Attorney’s Office.

He said early Thursday that investigators were processing the scene and interviewing subjects.

The gunshot victims – two male adults – were treated at a local hospital, with White reporting that they were going to be flown out of the county for treatment.

The investigation initially closed the roadway between Old Highway 53 and Cass Avenue to old Highway 53 and Ridgeview.

Shortly after 3:30 a.m., police said both lanes of Old Highway 53 were open but Cypress Avenue remained closed.

Anyone with information regarding this case is encouraged to contact Det. Steve Hobb at 707-994-8251, Extension 321.

Evidence placards at the scene of a shooting in Clearlake, California, on Wednesday, August 19, 2020. Photo courtesy of Chief Andrew White.
Posted On

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Bureau of Land Management Ukiah Field Office has issued a temporary emergency closure for some of the BLM-managed public lands within and adjacent to the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument in Lake and Napa counties due to wildland fire danger.

The closure is effective immediately and remains in effect until further notice.

A Cal Fire Type 1 management team is managing the LNU Lightning Complex, which as of Wednesday night had burned more than 124,000 acres, with no containment.

The latest information, including road closures and evacuation orders and warnings, is available at https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/.

The public lands encompassed by this emergency closure include: Berryessa Management Area; Cache Creek Management Area, which contains the Blue Ridge Trail, Buck Island Rafting Area, Cache Creek Ridge Trail, Cache Creek Wilderness, Cowboy Camp and the associated equestrian area; Frog Pond Trail; Highbridge Trailhead and Perkins Creek Ridge Trail. Also closed are: Cedar Roughs Wilderness; Knoxville Management Area, including the Knoxville Off-Highway Vehicle Recreation Area, Hunting Creek Campground and North Staging Area; parcels within the Stebbins Cold Canyon; as well scattered tracts in Napa, Solano and Yolo counties. BLM public lands along the Redbud and Judge Davis trails are also closed.

The closure order is available online.

Officials said the closure is necessary to protect public land users from risks associated with active wildland fire, protect wildland firefighters from recreational activities, including hunting of wild game; off-highway vehicle use; suppression repair; emergency stabilization; burned area rehabilitation and damage to recreational and natural resources.

The BLM is committed to keeping the public safe, while protecting natural resources. For more information, please call the Ukiah Field Office at 707-468-4000.
Posted On

The Doe fire, looking south from Forest Highway 7 on the Mendocino National Forest in Glenn County, California, on Wednesday, August 19, 2020. The fire is part of the August Complex of fires, which began following a lightning storm on Sunday, August 16, 2020. Photo courtesy of the US Forest Services.

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – Overnight, the August Complex of lightning fires on the Mendocino National Forest grew dramatically in size, fanned by winds and low humidity.

The fires began on Sunday morning on the Glenn County side of the forest in the wake of thunderstorms that passed over the region.

Forest officials said the complex is made up of 35 fires caused by the storms.

On Tuesday night, the fires had been reported at a total of 3,000 acres burned.

By Wednesday morning, officials said the fires and grown to 30,000 acres due to low humidity and wind gusts of 25 miles per hour.

Officials said structures and power lines are threatened in the community of Elk Creek.

The fire led to evacuation orders for the communities of Chrome, Burrows Gap, Elk Creek, Red Mountain and the area of the Mendocino National Forest along forest Highway 7 in western Glenn County.

On Wednesday afternoon, authorities expanded the evacuation order to all areas west of County Road 306, with the order extending the full length of Glenn County from the Tehama County line in the north to Colusa County line in the south, and all areas west to the Mendocino County line.

Grindstone Rancheria has been placed under an evacuation warning, as has the area of Newville from County Road 306 along County Road 200 to Black Butte Lake, the Glenn County Sheriff’s Office reported.

Authorities have set up a temporary evacuation site staffed by Glenn County Health & Human Services Agency and the American Red Cross at the Willows Memorial Hall, 525 W. Sycamore St., with an animal shelter open at the Glenn County Fairgrounds, 221 E Yolo St. in Orland.

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. – With the city of Clearlake being one qualified candidate short of a full slate to run for the three council seats up for election this fall, the council held a special meeting on Wednesday afternoon to decide a course of action.

The three seats up for election on Nov. 3 are currently held by Phil Harris, who is not seeking reelection, along with Joyce Overton and Russell Perdock.

Last week, when the final filing deadline closed, only Overton and David Claffey, who sits on the city’s marketing committee, had qualified as candidates.

Perdock did not receive enough qualified signatures; candidates must be nominated by no fewer than 20 and no more than 30 registered voters who live in the city limits.

That put the city in the unusual position of having not enough candidates for seats. So city staff asked the council Wednesday afternoon to decide how to approach the situation, which it did during a brief meeting.

“We’re in a unique position tonight, one that doesn’t happen very often,” City Attorney Ryan Jones explained.

Before the council discussed the matter, both Overton and Perdock recused themselves and left the council chambers.

With those two council members recusing, Jones said any resolution or action would need to be supported by the majority of the council – leaving the decision up to Harris, Mayor Russ Cremer and Vice Mayor Dirk Slooten.

Based on election law, the council had to decide on whether to make appointments to fill the seats 75 days before the election, in this case, Aug. 20. Jones said that meant that the council was down to its last day to make the decision.

He presented three options to them.

The first, which Jones called “the default,” is what would happen even without council action. Jones said that option meant going forward with the election even with only two qualified candidates.

At the same time, a qualified write-in candidate could seek the third seat. If there are more than one write-in candidate, Jones said the top write-in vote-getter would get the third seat.

The second option Jones offered was to appoint the two qualified candidates – Claffey and Overton – and then hold an election on Nov. 3 for the third open seat, which also would be contingent on having a qualified write-in candidate.

However, if nobody qualified as a write-in, Jones said the city would have to hold a special election at some point after Nov. 3. In that scenario, the city would have to cover the high cost for a special election – which Jones said could cost tens of thousands of dollars based on past experience – and also would leave the council with an open seat.

Jones’ third option was to appoint an individual for the unnominated third seat and hold an election for the other two seats.

Claffey, who was watching the meeting via Zoom, asked if appointing the two qualified candidates would handcuff them from making appointments over the next four years.

That, as it turned out, was a legitimate concern and one that Jones’ staff report had raised, as Jones said election law prevents a majority of the council from being appointed.

In the scenario where two council members were appointed, should another council member sometime in the near future resign, the council would end up having to hold a special election, he said.

Harris said he supported the first option, to let the election go forward for the two qualified candidates and a write-in candidate. He asked about the timeline for the write-in process.

Administrative Services Director/City Clerk Melissa Swanson said the write-in candidacy period would run from Sept. 7 to Oct. 20. Write-in candidates would have to file paperwork required by the Fair Political Practices Commission, fill out nomination papers and get between 20 and 30 qualified signatures of nomination.

Harris said he felt the first option – letting the election go forward for all three seats was the most economically sound method as well as the most versatile. Slooten said he concurred.

“I would agree, it’s the fairest way,” said Cremer, adding it also was probably the most transparent approach.

Harris moved to go forward with the election, which Slooten seconded and Cremer joined in approving 3-0.

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

SOUTH LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The growth of the LNU Lightning Complex led to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office calling for a new round of evacuations in the south county on Wednesday night.

Cal Fire said the complex has so far burned 124,100 acres, with no containment. The complex’s 3,500-acre Morgan fire is burning inside Lake County.

Just before 9:45 p.m. Wednesday the Lake County Sheriff’s issued a new evacuation order for residents in a portion of southern Lake County.

The new evacuations do not include Middletown proper, officials said.

The evacuation order covers the following areas:

– The east side of Highway 29 north of the Lake/Napa County Line up to the southern intersection of Highway 29 and St. Helena Creek Road, across from the Twin Pine Casino.

– All of St. Helena Creek Road, to the intersection of Highway 29 and St. Helena Creek Road/Butts Canyon.

– South of Butts Canyon Road to the Lake/Napa county line.

All previous evacuation orders are still in effect.

Residents are advised that there is an immediate threat to life and property from the wildfire and are urged to evacuate.

Those in need of shelter please proceed to the Kelseyville High School located at 5480 Main Street.

Evacuees are directed to gather all family members, pets and essential items, including medications. Turn off all appliances and lights in your home and lock it before leaving.
Posted On

SOUTH LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – As a complex of lightning-caused fires continues to rapidly grow, residents in a portion of southern Lake County on Wednesday afternoon were ordered to immediately evacuate.

Just after 2 p.m. Wednesday the Lake County Sheriff’s Office issued a mandatory evacuation order for residents living in and around Hidden Valley Lake and Jerusalem Valley areas of Lake County due to the approach of the LNU Lightning Complex, which has burned more than 46,000 acres in five counties.

Those under evacuation order are residents living north of Butts Canyon Road, south of Hofacker Lane to Morgan Valley Road, east of Highway 29 and west of the Lake/Napa County line.

Sheriff Brian Martin said resources are stretched thin, there is significant wind in the area, and the decision was made to issue the order after consulting with Cal Fire and the Incident Management Team.

He said shortly after 2 p.m. that evacuation sirens were to be activated in Hidden Valley Lake.

Martin urged people not to panic or rush, and that they had adequate time to evacuate if they started preparing to leave immediately.

Those in need of shelter are asked to proceed to a temporary evacuation point that has been set up at the former Pearce Field airport off of Highway 53 in Clearlake.

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, Martin said the ability to shelter people will be very limited, so he urged evacuees to use other sheltering options if available.

Evacuees are asked to stay in their vehicles and wear masks when they arrive at the temporary evacuation point. A shelter is being established and they will be directed to the shelter by temporary evacuation point staff.

Authorities urged residents in the evacuation area to immediately gather all family members, pets and essential times including medications, turn off appliances and lights, and lock homes when leaving.

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. – The Clearlake City Council is set to hold a reading of an ordinance that would raise council members’ salaries and also will consider potential changes to commercial cannabis rules, including considering offering more permits to operations.

The council will meet virtually at 6 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 20.

Because of the county’s shelter in place order, Clearlake City Hall remains closed to the public, however, the virtual meeting will be broadcast live on the city's YouTube channel or the Lake County PEG TV YouTube Channel. Community members also can participate via Zoom.

The agenda can be found here.

Comments and questions can be submitted in writing for City Council consideration by sending them to Administrative Services Director/City Clerk Melissa Swanson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. You can also visit the city’s town hall site and submit written comments at https://www.opentownhall.com/portals/327/forum_home. Identify the subject you wish to comment on in your email’s subject line or in your town hall submission.

To give the council adequate time to review your questions and comments, please submit your written comments prior to 4 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 20.

Each public comment emailed to the city clerk will be read aloud by the mayor or a member of staff for up to three minutes or will be displayed on a screen. Public comment emails and town hall public comment submissions that are received after the beginning of the meeting will not be included in the record.

At the start of the meeting, the council will meet the month’s adoptable dogs and get a presentation on the 2020 Census.

Under council business, council members will consider the first reading of an ordinance to amend the municipal code in order to increase the salary of council members.

The council discussed the proposal at its meeting on Aug. 6 and directed staff to come back with a draft ordinance, as Lake County News has reported.

City Attorney Ryan Jones told the council that, by statute, council members’ salaries are set according to population, and the maximum for cities Clearlake’s size is $300. However, the city can still give council members a 5 percent annual raise.

The draft ordinance proposes to raise the salary for each council member from the current amount of $300 per month to $500 per month. Originally the council had considered raising it up to $765, which would include a 5 percent increase for each of the past 31 years, the length of time it’s been since the city council salary was set.

In a report Jones and City Manager Alan Flora authored for the meeting, they note that an automatic 5 percent annual increase is not permissible under state law. Government Code section 36516(a)(4) states that “no ordinance shall be enacted or amended to provide automatic future increases in salary.”

In other business, the council will discuss and give possible direction to staff regarding modifications to commercial cannabis regulations.

In his report on the item, Flora noted that the regulations the council approved several years ago allowed for a maximum of three retail dispensaries and 12 permits for other commercial cannabis uses such as manufacturing, distribution, cultivation, labs or delivery-only dispensaries.

He said the maximum number of permits have been issued and some of the permittees have begun operations.

“Based on the continued demand for space for cannabis activity, and the success of the existing cannabis businesses already operating, it may be appropriate for the Council to consider increasing the cap on maximum permits or another alternative to allow additional permits to be issued within the existing zones already approved for cannabis businesses,” Flora wrote.

Also on Thursday, the council will consider designating voting delegates and alternates for the League of California Cities’ annual conference in October and hold the first reading of an ordinance amending the Clearlake Municipal Code relating to universal garbage collection and authorizing administrative citations to collect unpaid debt.

On the meeting's consent agenda – items that are not considered controversial and are usually adopted on a single vote – are warrant registers; minutes of the July 8, 2020, Lake County Vector Control District Board meeting; disposal of surplus vehicles, Resolution No. 2020-34; authorization to purchase two trailer-mounted mobile traffic signals, with motion sensors and controllers, to replace flaggers in right-of-way work zones; adoption of the first amendment to the Fiscal Year 2020-21 Budget (Resolution 2020-27), appropriating funding for public safety communications equipment, Resolution No. 2020-35; and adoption of a resolution approving an allocation of funding and the execution of a grant agreement and any amendments
thereto from the CDBG-DR Program for $1,157,983 for the Multi-Family Housing Program, Resolution No. 2020-36.

The council also will hold a closed session to discuss two potential cases of litigation.

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

The Morgan fire burning near Jerusalem Grade Road in Lake County, California, one of the fires that are part of the LNU Lightning Complex, which has so far burned more than 124,000 acres. Photo by Angela Carter.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – On Wednesday the LNU Lightning Complex nearly tripled in size, continuing to burn across Lake, Napa and Sonoma counties, threatening homes and prompting evacuations, while other fires across the region also continued to grow.

Cal Fire said the complex reached 124,100 acres on Wednesday evening, with no containment.

It is threatening 25,000 structures. Cal Fire said the complex has so far destroyed 105 structures and damaged 70 others.

The portion of the complex impacting Lake County is the Morgan fire, at 3,500 acres and zero-percent containment on Wednesday night.

That fire had burned to the Lake-Napa County line by Tuesday afternoon, prompting an initial round of evacuations in the county’s southeast corner. By Wednesday morning it was confirmed to be well within Lake County’s boundaries.

Later on Wednesday, more evacuations were called for Hidden Valley Lake and the Jerusalem Valley area. Reports from the scene stated that authorities closed southbound Highway 29 in order to allow both lanes of the highway to be driven north by evacuees.

Deputies and firefighters spent hours going house to house, notifying residents of the need to evacuate, according to radio traffic.

Sheriff Brian Martin reported that firefighting resources are in short supply. On Wednesday night, assigned personnel totaled 587 – a fraction what other large incidents have had assigned over the course of recent years – with 71 engines, 27 water tenders, six helicopters, nine hand crews and 28 dozers.

Because of so many fires around the state, Cal Fire said its resources have been stretched thin.

Adding to the difficulties for firefighters, the National Weather Service has placed much of Northern California – including Lake County – under a red flag warning until Thursday morning due to weather and fire conditions.

The complex and some other major fires locally and around the region have been attributed to what Cal Fire officials on Wednesday morning called a “historic lightning siege” that had occurred during the previous 72 hours.

Cal Fire said 10,849 lightning strikes across the state during that time frame caused more than 367 new fires, with 6,900 firefighting personnel assigned to those incidents.

With firefighter resources depleted, Cal Fire said the state of California is asking for 375 additional engines and more hand crews from out of state.

Fires burning in Glenn, Mendocino counties

Elsewhere around the region, in Glenn County, the August Complex of 35 lightning-caused fires in the Mendocino National Forest had ballooned overnight from 3,000 to 30,000 acres, as Lake County News has reported.

By Wednesday evening, the fire had more than doubled to 65,030 acres, the US Forest Service reported.

New fires were reported in Glenn County on Wednesday, including the Ivory fire near Elk Creek, which by early afternoon had burned 400 acres with no containment, and the 4-8 fire west of Willows, which was 90-percent contained at 250 acres. The causes of these fires are under investigation.

In Mendocino County, the Creek fire – located four miles northeast of Covelo – has burned 800 acres with 60-percent containment as of Wednesday evening, with two outbuildings destroyed and eight other structures threatened, according to Cal Fire’s Mendocino Unit.

Cal Fire said firefighters worked overnight and stopped the Creek fire’s progress, with evacuation orders lifted earlier Wednesday but evacuation warnings remaining in place.

Also in Mendocino County, the 3-19 incident east of Potter Valley remained at 62 acres on Wednesday evening, with containment up to 50 percent. Cal Fire said forward progress on that incident also has been stopped.

In Redwood Valley, Cal Fire said forward progress had been stopped on the 12-acre Red fire, with 20 percent containment.

The causes of the fires in Mendocino County are reported to be under investigation and in reports from Cal Fire haven’t been specifically linked to lightning.

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. – Lake County was ringed by wildland fires on Tuesday as firefighters in neighboring Glenn, Mendocino, Napa and Sonoma counties continued efforts to contain new and ongoing incidents, one of which led to a call for evacuations in a remote portion of southern Lake County.

Since early Monday morning, local and state firefighters in Napa County have been fighting the LNU Lightning Complex, which is composed of more than 60 fires, some less than an acre.

However, the size of the complex’s largest fires ballooned on Tuesday, reaching 32,025 acres by nightfall and threatening 1,900 structures, according to a Cal Fire report.

The complex’s biggest fires in Napa County include the 10,000-acre Hennessey fire on Hennessey Ridge Road and Chiles Pope Valley Road, east of St. Helena, which has burned one structure and two outbuildings; the 10,000-acre Gamble on Berryessa Knoxville Road, west of Brooks; the 8,000-acre 15-10 fire near Putah Creek Bridge and Berryessa Knoxville Road; the 1,000-acre Spanish fire near Spanish flat; and the 2,500-acre Markley fire near Monticello dam.

Two more fires included in the complex are in Sonoma County: the 13-4 fire west of Healdsburg, which has burned 500 acres, and the 11-16 fire north of Jenner, which is 25 acres.

As of Tuesday night, no containment had been achieved on any of those seven major fires, Cal Fire said.

Due to the approach of one of the LNU Lightning Complex’s smaller fires to the Lake County line, on Tuesday afternoon the Lake County Sheriff’s Office issued a mandatory evacuation order for the area of Reiff Road and Morgan Valley Road, south to the Lake/Napa County line.

Authorities said they set up a temporary evacuation point at the former airport property off of Highway 53 in Clearlake.

Sheriff Brian Martin told Lake County News on Tuesday evening that a fire in the LNU Complex called the Gold Mine fire was responsible for the evacuation order impacting southeast Lake County.

Martin said the fire was at the Napa-Lake County line and had been spotting.

“The good thing is, for Lake County, it’s threatening areas that are very sparsely inhabited,” he said.

Martin said his department was able to contact everyone in the evacuation area. Many expressed their desire to stay put although some did opt to leave.

If the weather holds up, the fire should have minimal impact on Lake County, Martin said.

He said he expected his agency and Cal Fire will reevaluate the situation on Wednesday morning and decide if the evacuation order should be lifted or remain in place.

In Mendocino County, Cal Fire said the Creek fire began along Highway 162 and Short Creek Road near Covelo shortly before 4 p.m. Tuesday. As of early evening, it had burned one structure and was threatening eight others, with 200 acres burned and 5-percent containment.

Cal Fire’s Mendocino Unit said it’s also working on the 62-acre 3-19 fire east of Potter Valley. It is 30-percent contained and is not threatening any structures.

At the same time, efforts are continuing to contain the August Complex, which includes at least 20 lightning-caused fires throughout the Mendocino National Forest in the Grindstone Ranger District in Glenn County.

US Forest Service officials said Tuesday night that the August Complex has burned 3,000 acres and has resulted in a closure on the M9 Road from the forest boundary west to the junction with the M4 Road for firefighter and public safety.

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.

LCNews

Responsible local journalism on the shores of Clear Lake.

 

Memberships:

 

Search