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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – As the Mendocino Complex continued to grow on Friday, the president approved a major disaster declaration for Lake County due to the incident.

Cal Fire said the Mendocino Complex has grown just over 9,000 acres in the last 24 hours, with its size reaching 379,720 acres on Friday evening. Containment is up to 76 percent.

The Ranch fire remains the active portion of the complex. It is up to 330,800 acres and 76-percent containment, Cal Fire said. The River fire was fully contained Monday at 48,920 acres.

Officials released an updated damage assessment for the incident on Friday. The count of destroyed structures now totals 277 – 157 residences and 120 other buildings. In addition, there were 37 structures damaged – 13 residents and 24 other types of buildings.

There are still 1,050 structures threatened, Cal Fire said.

The estimated date for full containment remains Sept. 1.

On Friday evening, Congressman Mike Thompson announced that President Donald Trump issued a major disaster declaration for Lake County for the complex.

Thompson said the declaration allows federal funds to be available to help Lake County survivors recover and rebuild from the complex, which began on July 27.

The assistance includes Federal Emergency Management Agency Individual Assistance funding that will be available to individuals to allow them to rebuild and repair homes and structures that were damaged or destroyed and replace housing and other property that are not covered by insurance, Thompson’s office said.

Thompson has prepared a disaster guide to help constituents navigate the recovery process that you can read by clicking here.

During the course of the day on Friday, Cal Fire said there was little growth on the northern portion of the Ranch fire.

On the northwest portion of the fire, Cal Fire said crews continued to make progress with mop up and construction of containment lines. Firing operations also continued as weather conditions and fuel moistures allowed.

On the southern portion of the fire, near the Northshore communities, suppression repair efforts continued. Fire officials said that area hasn’t shown any activity in many days.

Friday saw more heavy smoke conditions around much of the county. However, there were not large and dramatic smoke columns rising from the Ranch fire as there have been in recent days when there were flare ups near the Eel River.

Light winds and smokey conditions are expected to continue throughout Saturday, which will help to keep fuel moistures up, however, these conditions may limit the ability of aircraft to fly suppression missions until later in the day, Cal Fire reported.

Resources assigned include 3,470 personnel, 200 engines, 89 water tenders, 21 helicopters, 70 hand crews and 62 dozers.

Fire officials will hold a meeting for the community of Stonyford at the Grange Hall at 10 a.m. Saturday. For information call 707-574-8261.

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. – The filing period to run for the city councils in Clearlake and Lakeport in November is now closed, with the Clearlake field set and the two candidates in Lakeport likely to be appointed rather than appearing on the ballot.

Each of the councils have two seats open, with the nomination and filing periods closing earlier this month.

In Clearlake, there are three candidates whose names will appear on the November ballot, according to City Clerk Melissa Swanson.

With Mayor Bruno Sabatier having been elected in June to succeed Jeff Smith as the District 2 representative on the Board of Supervisors, there is one open seat while Russell Cremer, appointed to fill a vacancy earlier this year, is seeking reelection.

Longtime city Planning Commissioner Dirk Slooten also is seeking a seat on the council. Slooten also is a member of the Lake Area Rotary Club Association, or LARCA, and has been instrumental in helping to raise funds for fire relief in Lake County.

The third candidate is Russell Perdock, who resigned from the council in February before the end of his first term to pursue the police chief’s job, which ended up going to Andrew White. It was Perdock’s unfinished term that Cremer was appointed to fill.

Swanson said there were no candidates for the city treasurer job. This year the city clerk job transitions to an appointed position based on the success of a previous ballot measure.

In Lakeport, Mayor Mireya Turner and Councilwoman Stacey Mattina both filed to run for reelection, with no one else submitting paperwork, according to City Clerk Kelly Buendia.

Based on election code, because there are not more candidates than seats, the council can choose to appoint the two incumbents to new terms, according to a report Buendia is taking to the council’s next meeting on Aug. 21.

If the council chooses to appoint rather than hold a general municipal election on Nov. 6, it could save the city between $4,000 and $6,000, not counting staff time, Buendia said.

Turner is finishing her first term, Mattina is now in her second term.

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. – Fire officials on Thursday evening said containment is up and more evacuation orders have been lifted on the Ranch fire portion of the Mendocino Complex.

The Mendocino Complex reached 370,294 acres and 76-percent containment on Thursday evening, Cal Fire said.

Cal Fire’s report said that includes 321,374 acres and 72-percent containment on the Ranch fire. The River fire was fully contained on Monday at 48,920 acres.

Increased containment on the incident Thursday afternoon coincided with authorities lifting the mandatory evacuation orders for all residences with driveway access south of 16000 Mid Mountain Road, north of Pine Avenue, west of the Mendocino National Forest and east of Eastside Potter Valley Road in Mendocino County, and in Lake County for all residences on Bartlett Springs Road, north of Highway 20 to the Mendocino National Forest boundary.

Both areas remain in advisory evacuation status, Cal Fire said.

Lake County Sheriff Brian Martin on Thursday urged people returning to evacuation areas to use caution and to be mindful of the dangers that exist in the fire area.

The Ranch fire, which has grown by another 6,000 acres in 24 hours, is continuing to burn actively in steep and rugged terrain, according to Cal Fire.

Due to temperatures rising and relative humidity dropping, Cal Fire said fire activity increased in the early afternoon. The fire continues to remain active in the Mendocino National Forest as well as threatening communities that reside north of the fire perimeter.

Fire crews on Thursday continued to construct control lines, tying together pre-existing
containment barriers, especially north of the Snow Mountain Wilderness, and to do structure defense in communities threatened by the fire.

During a Mendocino Complex virtual recovery meeting hosted by the county of Lake on Thursday evening, Cal Fire Incident Management Team 2 spokesman Jeremy Rahn said fire crews are making suppression repairs in the River fire area, which means fixing areas where there was damage from equipment and the firefighting process.

The southern portion of the Ranch fire near the Northshore communities looks good, with a lot of containment line in place, he said.

Rahn also thanked the community and local agencies for showing its support on Wednesday when the body of Draper City Fire Battalion Chief Matt Burchett – who died on Monday fighting the ranch fire – was taken home to Utah. The procession went from Ukiah to Santa Rosa before he was flown to Salt Lake City, as Lake County News has reported.

Federal Incident Management Team spokesman Paul Gibbs said that on Thursday a lot of work was going on in the fire’s western portion, just east of Potter Valley.

He said firefighters have had issues with the fire in an S curve of the Eel River on the north side of the fire, where the fire keeps spotting across the river.

That area – where the fire was heading up Grapevine Creek to the northwest – was the source of a large smoke column seen on the Ranch fire on Thursday evening, Gibbs said.

Gibbs said crews have also been doing burning operations along the fireline west of Lodoga.

Officials said several mandatory evacuations remain in place:

– Lake County: East of the Lake-Mendocino County line, south of the Lake-Mendocino-Glenn
County line, west of the Lake-Colusa County line, north of the fire perimeter and the Mendocino National Forest boundary.

– Mendocino County: South and East of Eel River Road, west of the Mendocino-Lake County line, north of the 16000 block of Mid Mountain Road.

– Colusa County: Areas west of Lodoga Stonyford Road including Fouts Springs Road (Forest Road M10), Goat Mountain Road, Cooks Spring Road, Walker Ridge Road and Brim
Road.

– Glenn County: Mendocino National Forest boundary west to the Lake County line, south to the Colusa County line and north to Forest Road 20N07 also known as County Road 308.

Resources assigned to the incident on Thursday include 3,569 personnel, 209 engines, 91 water tenders, 21 helicopters, 73 hand crews and 63 dozers.

Firefighters still anticipate the complex being fully contained by Sept. 1.

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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LUCERNE, Calif, -- The First Lutheran Church pet food distribution site has been resupplied by Orphan Dog and will continue relief distribution as long a supplies last.

The Local Assistance Center closes Friday evening at 7 p.m. and remaining goods will be donated to the relief effort at First Lutheran, according to LAC organizers.

Friday afternoon Orphan Dog delivered additional pallets of dog and cat food supplies which are now staged for distribution.

Sunday after services the Church will provide a meal and open the food pantry inside while distributing pet food from the parking lot.

Supply distribution will continue through the weekend until supplies are depleted.

Donations to help First Lutheran continue this work can be made through their website - www.flclucerne.org.

Steve and Kurt with First Lutheran and Mike from Orphan Dog unload supplies Friday.
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NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – State Sen. Mike McGuire on Thursday paid tribute to the Utah firefighter who lost his life fighting the Mendocino Complex this week.

McGuire adjourned the Thursday Senate Floor Session in memory of Draper City FIre Battalion Chief Matthew Burchett.

Burchett, 42, was an experienced professional in wildland firefighting, admired by his colleagues and known as the guy who always kept people safe.

Earlier this month Burchett – a newly promoted battalion chief – came to California with a five-member crew from Draper City, an agency he joined in May.

Fire officials said this was his second deployment to the state in two years to assist with wildland firefighting.

He was working on the Ranch fire near Lake Pillsbury on Monday when he was injured by a falling tree, as Lake County News has reported.

“Despite being thousands of miles away from his 6-year-old and loving wife, Battalion Chief Burchett jumped at the chance to come to the aid of all of us here in the Golden State,” said McGuire. “It’s not because he had to, but because it’s the way Mr. Burchett lived his life – helping others who are in need. On behalf of the residents of California, we send our deep condolences to Battalion Chief Burchett’s family, friends and fellow firefighters.”

McGuire said Burchett will be remembered for his dry wit, as well as his love of hiking, skiing, being outdoors and being an amazing dad.

On Wednesday Burchett’s body was transported home to Utah in a procession that began in Ukiah and ended with a flight from Santa Rosa to Salt Lake City.

The Mendocino Complex, composed of the Ranch and River fires, began on July 27 and is now the largest wildland fire incident in California history, at more than 370,000 acres. It is burning across four counties: Mendocino, Lake, Colusa and Glenn.

If separated from the complex, the Ranch fire alone – at more than 321,000 acres by Thursday night – would be the largest wildland fire in state history, according to fire records.

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. – The body of a veteran firefighter who lost his life this week on the lines of the Mendocino Complex was transported home to his family in Utah with honors on Wednesday.

Draper City Fire Battalion Chief Matthew Burchett, 42, died on Monday evening after being fatally injured on the Ranch fire portion of the complex, as Lake County News has reported.

On Wednesday, his body was transported home, with the procession beginning in the afternoon at Eversole Mortuary in Ukiah, driving past the Mendocino Complex base camp in the city before proceeding down Highway 101 to the Sonoma County Airport in Santa Rosa.

The Cal Fire Honor Guard which kept vigil with Burchett’s body around the clock accompanied him on the journey, as did his wife, brother and a family friend who flew to Ukiah on Wednesday morning on Utah Gov. Gary Herbert’s private plane, according to Draper City Fire. Members of the Utah Air National Guard also accompanied him,

Draper City Fire also sent an honor guard to Ukiah, as did the Salt Lake City Unified Fire Authority, where Burchett had worked for 20 years before joining Draper City Fire in May.

At the airport in Santa Rosa, Burchett’s US flag-draped casket was placed in a California Air National Guard C130-J plane, which flew him on the final leg of the journey to Salt Lake City. Draper City, which has a population of about 42,000 residents, is located about 20 miles to the south.

When the plane arrived at the Utah National Guard Base Wednesday night, two fire trucks shot water in an arc over the plane as it taxied in.

Once the plane arrived, Draper City Fire and Police, Unified Fire Authority, Utah Highway Patrol and Unified Police Department escorted the hearse bearing Burchett’s body to the mortuary.

Videos posted on this page document the portions of the journey.





A decorated career

Burchett died Monday evening after he was hit by a falling tree while working on the fire lines, as Lake County News has reported.

Few details have so far been made available about the incident that took Burchett’s life, but Draper City Mayor Troy Walker has confirmed some new information, explaining that it occurred near Lake Pillsbury.

Walker said that firefighters gave Burchett immediate aid and within 40 minutes he was airlifted out of the fire area.

Radio reports on the day of the accident stated that Burchett’s fellow firefighters had used cardiopulmonary resuscitation in an effort to save his life. A medivac unit was directed to land at Drop Point 15, about six miles southwest of Lake Pillsbury, to transport him.

Burchett was flown to Ukiah Valley Medical Center, where he later succumbed to his injuries, Walker said.

For any line of duty death, there is an investigation, and Walker said Cal Fire has a team working on this case.

Burchett, who had been in the fire service for two decades, came to California earlier this month with four of his fellow firefighters from Draper City, jumping at the chance to help in California, according to Draper City officials.

Unified Fire Authority Chief Dan Petersen said Burchett had worked with the agency for more than 20 years, where he had a decorated career.

He started as a seasonal wildland firefighter in the authority’s wildland division in 1995, working his way up to squad boss. He became a full-time firefighter with the agency in 1999, promoting to wildland specialist in 2000 and paramedic in 2004, Petersen said.

Petersen said in 2003 Burchett deployed to the space shuttle Columbia disaster as part of the recovery effort with his work as a crew boss, and earned a promotion to captain in 2009 working in an engine company. From 2011 to 2015, he worked in the training division, training more than 50 new firefighters.

In 2016, he took an assignment with the emergency management division, helping prepare for disasters countywide, a role in which Petersen said Burchett also excelled.

“His true love and passion and what he really was known for was wildland firefighting,” said Petersen. “He possessed an incredible knowledge and wealth of experience in this area.”

Burchett’s journey to California this month wasn’t his first trip to the state to help with wildland firefighting. Petersen said that in 2017 Burchett came to California to be a liaison for all the Utah resources sent there to assist with the wildland fires, and did a “miraculous job” in coordinating those efforts on his first deployment.

Whether he was on the front lines or in administration, the agency, the communities he served and his coworkers are all better off for his efforts, Petersen said.

“We are truly missing a great man who’s given his life to the communities that he took an oath to service,” said Petersen.

Fellow fire officials said Burchett had saved the lives of many other firefighters during the course of his career, and Walker called him a hero.

Burchett’s funeral is planned for Monday in West Valley City, officials reported.

The Utah Firefighters Emerald Society is raising funds to assist Burchett’s family. Donations can be made at the society’s Web site at http://www.utahfes.org/, with 100-percent of proceeds to benefit the Burchett family.

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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Tina from Orphan Dog shares a smile while resupplying pet food relief at First Lutheran Church in Lucerne.


LUCERNE, Calif, -- The First Luthern Church pet food distribution site has received and is distributing additional pet food relief supplies.

Friday morning Orphan Dog delivered pallets of cat food and treats for distribution to Northshore residents affected by fires. The church is located at 3963 Country Club drive in Lucerne. ID will be requested.

Dog food is anticipated to arrive at First Lutheran parking lot later Friday.

It is not known whether additional pet food distribution sites remain open. One such site may be open in Upperlake.

Readers with knowledge of open pet food distribution sites should contact Lake County News so we can provide that informtion to the public.

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LAKEPORT, Calif. – After weeks of fire update meetings, on Thursday night local, state and federal officials participated in a meeting focused on recovery from the Mendocino Complex.

The county of Lake hosted the meeting at the Lake County Courthouse in Lakeport on Thursday evening.

The 42-minute meeting can be seen in its entirety above.

Speakers included County Administrative Officer Carol Huchingson, Cal Fire Incident Management Team 2 spokesman Jeremy Rahn, Paul Gibbs of federal Incident Management Team 1, Lake County Sheriff Brian Martin, Supervisor Jim Steele, Public Health Director Denise Pomeroy, James Scott of Lake County Environmental Health, Lake County Water Resources Director David Cowan, Rachel Elkins of the University of California Cooperative Extension, Lakeport Mayor Mireya Turner and Lake County Recovery Coordinator Nathan Spangler.
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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Mendocino Complex was held to a small gain in acreage on Wednesday as it continued to burn actively on its Ranch fire portion, while the firefighter killed on the lines this week was returned home to Utah.

The incident reached 364,145 acres with containment up to 67 percent by Wednesday night, an increase of 300 acres and three percent, respectively, since the morning, according to Cal Fire.

The complex is composed of the Ranch and the River fires, the latter Cal Fire said was fully contained on Monday at 48,920 acres.

Meantime, the Ranch continues to grow, reaching 315,225 acres and 67 percent containment by Wednesday evening, Cal Fire reported.

The Ranch fire became deadly on Monday when it claimed the life of a firefighter, Battalion Chief Matthew Burchett of the Draper City Fire Department in Draper City, Utah.

Burchett’s body was escorted in a procession from Ukiah to Santa Rosa on Wednesday, then flown back to Utah on a California National Guard plane.

The complex has been destructive in other ways as well. The Cal Fire damage assessment totals on Wednesday remained at 265 structures destroyed and 36 damaged.

Cal Fire said the Ranch Fire continues to burn actively in the Mendocino National Forest as well as threaten communities that reside north of the fire perimeter, including Lake Pillsbury.

The firefighting effort continues to be challenged by the steep and rugged terrain, dry fuel, and hot weather continue, fire officials said.

Two large smoke columns rose from the incident on Wednesday afternoon, visible from north Lakeport and the Northshore.

Cal Fire said crews continued to construct control lines and implemented new dozer lines, tying together preexisting containment barriers, especially north of the Snow Mountain Wilderness.

Firefighters also have continued to work on structure preparation and defense in the communities threatened by the Ranch fire around Pillsbury and Stonyford to the east, according to fire reports.

Officials said operations overnight were focusing on the northwest and northeast edges of the Ranch fire, while continuing to prepare for controlled firing operations to improve containment lines as conditions allow.

On the fire’s south side, near the Northshore communities, Cal Fire said crews continue to do suppression repair work and patrol status.

On Wednesday at around 6:30 pm., a structure fire was reported off Bartlett Springs Road – halfway between Indian Valley and Bartlett Springs – in the Ranch fire area.

The fire in the doublewide mobile home threatened other structures and was being worked by a helicopter and crews that came both from the Ranch fire and Northshore fire.

It was not clear from initial radio reports what started the fire.

Cal Fire said assigned resources on Wednesday included 3,483 firefighting personnel, 225 engines, 90 water tenders, 33 helicopters, 64 hand crews and 61 dozers.

Cal Fire continues to anticipate the complex will be fully contained by Sept. 1.

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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California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones visits a property burned by the Mendocino Complex in Lake County, Calif., on Thursday, August 16, 2018. Photo courtesy of the Department of Insurance.


LUCERNE, Calif. – California’s insurance commissioner made another fire-related visit to Lake County to discuss available services for survivors and survey the damage from the Mendocino Complex.

Commissioner Dave Jones and his staff made several stops in Lake County on Thursday, including one at the local assistance center at the Lucerne Alpine Senior Center and at the First Lutheran Church across the street where he had a closed-door meeting with local officials to discuss the situation.

He told Lake County News that he toured the local assistance center, meeting service providers including AAA insurance, checked in on the available resources and asked center staff about what concerns they’re hearing from community members.

Jones said he met with Board of Supervisors members Jim Steele and Tina Scott, as well as Nathan Spangler, the county’s recovery coordinator.

He said he shared with them what services his agency offers and heard from them about their issues and concerns.

“It’s given me a very good sense of the magnitude of the challenges the county is facing,” he said.

Jones said people are increasingly worried about being able to get insurance because of the wildland fire.

“This is going to be a growing problem,” acknowledged Jones, who has made suggestions to the Legislature to address the insurance issues for wildland fire survivors that so far haven’t been implemented.

California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones (center) with his staff at the Mendocino Complex local assistance center in Lucerne, Calif., on Thursday, August 16, 2018. Photo courtesy of the Department of Insurance.

He said he was impressed with the work being done by state and local agencies and nonprofits in responding to the Mendocino Complex, noting one Red Cross volunteer traveled from Colorado to help.

“Everyone is pitching in,” he said.

Jones later toured the fire area, seeing firsthand properties where homes, vehicles and other possession were laid waste by the complex.

For Jones, it wasn’t his first time seeing the devastation up close, as he has made previous trips to Lake County in response to its other fire disasters.

Since the Mendocino Complex began July 27, Jones has worked to assist wildland fire survivors, including taking actions to help them as they face recovery and offering guidance about the dangers of hiring unlicensed contractors.

The California Department of Insurance offers extensive online resources regarding wildland fires which can be found here. General consumer resources can be found here.

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 property burned by the Mendocino Complex in Lake County, Calif., on Thursday, August 16, 2018. Photo courtesy of the Department of Insurance.
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U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue and USDA Forest Service Interim Chief Vicki Christiansen, Sen. Lisa Murkowski, Sen. Maria Cantwell, Sen. Steve Daines, Sen. Ron Wyden announce a new strategy that delivers on the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Vision for Sound Stewardship on America’s Forests. A report of the strategy titled Toward Shared Stewardship Across Landscapes: An Outcome-based Investment Strategy describes the agency’s plan for managing catastrophic wildfires, along with the impacts of invasive species, drought, and insect and disease epidemics. At the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC on August 16, 2018. USDA photo by Lance Cheung.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service announced on Thursday a new strategy for managing catastrophic wildfires and the impacts of invasive species, drought, and insect and disease epidemics.

Specifically, a new report titled “Toward Shared Stewardship across Landscapes: An Outcome-based investment Strategy,” published below, outlines the USFS’s plans to work more closely with states to identify landscape-scale priorities for targeted treatments in areas with the highest payoffs.

“On my trip to California this week, I saw the devastation that these unprecedented wildfires are having on our neighbors, friends and families,” said U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue. “We commit to work more closely with the states to reduce the frequency and severity of wildfires. We commit to strengthening the stewardship of public and private lands. This report outlines our strategy and intent to help one another prevent wildfire from reaching this level.”

Both federal and private managers of forest land face a range of urgent challenges, among them catastrophic wildfires, invasive species, degraded watersheds, and epidemics of forest insects and disease. The conditions fueling these circumstances are not improving. Of particular concern are longer fire seasons, the rising size and severity of wildfires, and the expanding risk to communities, natural resources, and firefighters.

“The challenges before us require a new approach,” said Interim USFS Chief Vicki Christiansen. “This year Congress has given us new opportunities to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with state leaders mitigate to identify land management priorities that include mitigating wildfire risks. We will use all the tools available to us to reduce hazardous fuels, including mechanical treatments, prescribed fire, and unplanned fire in the right place at the right time, to mitigate them.”

A key component of the new strategy is to prioritize investment decisions on forest treatments in direct coordination with states using the most advanced science tools.

This allows the USFS to increase the scope and scale of critical forest treatments that protect communities and create resilient forests.

The USFS will also build upon the authorities created by the 2018 Omnibus Bill, including new categorical exclusions for land treatments to improve forest conditions, new road maintenance authorities, and longer stewardship contracting in strategic areas.

The agency will continue streamlining its internal processes to make environmental analysis more efficient and timber sale contracts more flexible.

The Omnibus Bill also includes a long-term “fire funding fix,” starting in FY 2020, that will stop the rise of the 10-year average cost of fighting wildland fire and reduce the likelihood of the disruptive practice of transferring funds from Forest Service non-fire programs to cover firefighting costs.

The product of more than a decade of hard work, this bipartisan solution will ultimately stabilize the agency’s operating environment.

Finally, because rising rates of firefighter fatalities in recent decades have shifted the USFS’s approach to fire response, the report emphasizes the agency’s commitment to a risk-based response to wildfire.

Toward Shared Stewardship across Landscapes: An Outcome-based investment Strategy by LakeCoNews on Scribd

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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The county of Lake will host a Mendocino Complex virtual recovery meeting at 6 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 16.

Contributors to the meeting will include state and local fire agencies and other first responders, the city of Lakeport, federal and state legislators, the California Office of Emergency Services and National Forest personnel.

County agencies are invited to provide updates on roads, health advisories, air quality and more.

“The purpose of this meeting is to help Ranch and RIver Fire survivors begin taking essential steps of recovery,” said County Administrative Officer Carol J. Huchingson. “This will include updates on what resources may be available from local, state and federal agencies, and also essential information for affected property owners: how to clean up properties safely; prevent erosion from washing into streams and the Lake; what to do with burned and felled trees. We encourage all concerned community members to watch and participate.”

As with previous virtual county meetings, a live stream will be posted at http://www.facebook.com/lakecountycagov/, and viewers will be able to submit questions to the panelists via Facebook.

This meeting will be facilitated by River/Ranch (Mendocino Complex) Fires Recovery Coordinator Nathan Spangler, and Huchingson, who previously worked together during the Valley fire recovery effort.

“Nathan will take the lead in this new recovery effort, and we are fortunate that he has stepped up and embraced this opportunity,” said Huchingson.

Recently, Spangler has worked as a staff services analyst in the Lake County Department of Social Services, and he welcomes the opportunity to guide County residents through the journey of recovery in his new role:

“You can never really know how you will respond to a significant event like losing your home to wildfire until it happens,” said Spangler. “Each individual’s experience is so different. For many, finding a new sense of normalcy is a challenging process. I have been privileged to help individuals and families navigate previous disasters, and look forward to helping Lake County residents take orderly steps to recover from the Ranch and River Fires.”

To best serve Ranch and River Fire survivors, Spangler plans to hold office hours in each of the burn areas in the weeks to come. Information on specific locations and hours will be shared as soon as possible.

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