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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – More schools have announced they will be closed on Friday due to the local and regional fires.
Kelseyville Unified and Lake County International Charter School confirmed they will be closed Friday, joining the Konocti and Middletown districts, and the Clearlake Community School, which had previously planned to be closed for the remainder of the week, according to Rob Young, the Lake County Office of Education’s emergency services and special projects coordinator.
Young said Lakeport Unified, Lucerne Elementary and the Upper Lake Unified school districts plan to be in session on Friday.
The Woodland Community College Lake County Campus in Clearlake will be closed Friday, according to Executive Dean Annette Lee.
Mendocino College also is suspending classes on all of its campuses in Lake and Mendocino counties through Sunday due to the region’s fire, according to spokesperson Jessica Silva.
Email Elizabeth Larson atThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
Kelseyville Unified and Lake County International Charter School confirmed they will be closed Friday, joining the Konocti and Middletown districts, and the Clearlake Community School, which had previously planned to be closed for the remainder of the week, according to Rob Young, the Lake County Office of Education’s emergency services and special projects coordinator.
Young said Lakeport Unified, Lucerne Elementary and the Upper Lake Unified school districts plan to be in session on Friday.
The Woodland Community College Lake County Campus in Clearlake will be closed Friday, according to Executive Dean Annette Lee.
Mendocino College also is suspending classes on all of its campuses in Lake and Mendocino counties through Sunday due to the region’s fire, according to spokesperson Jessica Silva.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
NORTH COAST, Calif. – Sonoma County Sheriff Rob Giordano on Thursday evening released the names of 10 of the people who have died in this week’s wildland fires in Sonoma County.
At a Thursday night briefing, Giordano announced that the death toll in Sonoma County’s fires has risen to 17.
The victims Giordano identified on Thursday evening primarily were in their 70s and 80s, with the youngest being in his 50s.
Giordano said the majority of them came from the Santa Rosa and Larkfield areas.
Most were found in their homes and one was next to a vehicle, Giordano said.
“The bulk were found in targeted searches,” he said.
Giordano said the following 10 individuals have been positively identified and their next of kin have been advised:
- Carol Collins-Swasey, 76 years old from Santa Rosa;
- Lynne Anderson Powell, 72 years old from Santa Rosa;
- Arthur Tasman Grant, 95 years old from Santa Rosa;
- Suiko Grant, 75 years old from Santa Rosa;
- Donna Mae Halbur, 80 years old from Larkfield (Santa Rosa);
- Leroy Peter Halbur, 80 years old from Larkfield (Santa Rosa);
- Valerie Lynn Evans, 75 years old from Santa Rosa;
- Carmen Caldentey Berriz, 75 years old from Apple Valley;
- Michael John Dornbach, 57 years old from Calistoga;
- Veronica Elizabeth McCombs, 67 years old from Santa Rosa.
Giordano said they were able to identify the victims in various ways, based on the conditions of the bodies, some of which were intact, while others had been reduced to ash and bone.
He said they confirmed two individuals by medical records, one by tattoos and the others through fingerprints, visually or through investigation about their whereabouts and movements.
In the case of two of the individuals, they were identified through serial numbers on medical devices or joint implants that were located with the remains, Giordano said.
He said his agency is still working to identify the other seven dead.
The Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office has taken reports on 1,100 missing people, and have located 745 of them, with 400 still outstanding, Giordano said.
He asked that when people make contact with family members or friends who have been reported missing, that they call authorities to let them know they are safe so they can be taken off the search list.
Email Elizabeth Larson atThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
At a Thursday night briefing, Giordano announced that the death toll in Sonoma County’s fires has risen to 17.
The victims Giordano identified on Thursday evening primarily were in their 70s and 80s, with the youngest being in his 50s.
Giordano said the majority of them came from the Santa Rosa and Larkfield areas.
Most were found in their homes and one was next to a vehicle, Giordano said.
“The bulk were found in targeted searches,” he said.
Giordano said the following 10 individuals have been positively identified and their next of kin have been advised:
- Carol Collins-Swasey, 76 years old from Santa Rosa;
- Lynne Anderson Powell, 72 years old from Santa Rosa;
- Arthur Tasman Grant, 95 years old from Santa Rosa;
- Suiko Grant, 75 years old from Santa Rosa;
- Donna Mae Halbur, 80 years old from Larkfield (Santa Rosa);
- Leroy Peter Halbur, 80 years old from Larkfield (Santa Rosa);
- Valerie Lynn Evans, 75 years old from Santa Rosa;
- Carmen Caldentey Berriz, 75 years old from Apple Valley;
- Michael John Dornbach, 57 years old from Calistoga;
- Veronica Elizabeth McCombs, 67 years old from Santa Rosa.
Giordano said they were able to identify the victims in various ways, based on the conditions of the bodies, some of which were intact, while others had been reduced to ash and bone.
He said they confirmed two individuals by medical records, one by tattoos and the others through fingerprints, visually or through investigation about their whereabouts and movements.
In the case of two of the individuals, they were identified through serial numbers on medical devices or joint implants that were located with the remains, Giordano said.
He said his agency is still working to identify the other seven dead.
The Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office has taken reports on 1,100 missing people, and have located 745 of them, with 400 still outstanding, Giordano said.
He asked that when people make contact with family members or friends who have been reported missing, that they call authorities to let them know they are safe so they can be taken off the search list.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
— Lake County News (@LakeCoNews) October 13, 2017CLEARLAKE, Calif. – City, county and state fire officials are holding a community meeting on the Sulphur fire in concert with the Clearlake City Council meeting at 6 p.m. Thursday.
The meeting is taking place in the council chambers at Clearlake City Hall, 14050 Olympic Drive.
Officials will provide updated information regarding the Sulphur fire, including the damage assessment process, plans for repopulation and recovery.
Watch the video live above. The video also will be available for rebroadcast.
MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – While the Tubbs fire continues its approach to southern Lake County, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office said Thursday afternoon that there is still no immediate threat to Middletown.
The Tubbs fire, burning in Napa and Sonoma counties since Sunday night, has so far burned 34,270 acres and is 10-percent contained, according to Cal Fire’s Thursday report.
The Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office on Thursday afternoon reported that the Tubbs fire’s death toll has reached 14.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office issued an advisory evacuation because of the fire’s approach on Wednesday morning, as Lake County News has reported.
Early Thursday morning, south county residents reported seeing flames cresting the hilltops across the county line.
However, the sheriff’s office said it is closely monitoring the Tubbs fire and, while the fire is very active, officials emphasized there is still no immediate threat to the Middletown area.
The sheriff’s office said it is receiving regular updates regarding the Tubbs fire’s activity, as well as that of the Pocket fire near Geyserville in Sonoma County, which has more than doubled to 8.130 acres over the past day.
Additional alerts will be sent out if at any time there is an immediate threat to the Middletown area, the sheriff’s office said.
Officials still encourage residents to be prepared to leave with little notice in case a mandatory evacuation becomes necessary. That includes gathering medications, pets and important papers.
The only mandatory evacuation orders that are currently in place in Lake County are related to the Sulphur fire, the sheriff’s office said.
The Sulphur fire remains at 2,500 acres and 45-percent containment. A community meeting on the fire is planned at 6 p.m. Thursday during the Clearlake City Council meeting, 14050 Olympic Drive.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – A community meeting regarding the Sulphur fire has been scheduled to take place in concert with the Clearlake City Council meeting on Thursday evening.
The council meeting will take place 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 12, in the council chambers at Clearlake City Hall, 14050 Olympic Drive.
Officials will provide updated information regarding the Sulphur fire, which on Thursday afternoon continued to hold at 2,500 acres, with containment unchanged at 45 percent containment, according to Cal Fire.
The damage assessment process as well as plans for repopulation and recovery will be discussed.
Emergency personnel continue to monitor the fire activity related to the Tubbs, Pocket and Redwood/Potter fires.
If the situation worsens, emergency personnel will issue mandatory evacuation notices.
There are still two evacuation shelters open. The shelters are located at Twin Pine Casino in Middletown and the Seventh-day Adventist Church located at 1111 Park Way in Lakeport. Anyone in need of shelter as a result of the recent fires is encouraged to go to one of the shelters.
The Konocti and Middletown Unified school districts have canceled school for Friday. The Kelseyville Unified School District will be making a decision later on Thursday.
The Lakeport, Upper Lake, and Lucerne school districts will have normal class schedules for Friday.
The council meeting will take place 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 12, in the council chambers at Clearlake City Hall, 14050 Olympic Drive.
Officials will provide updated information regarding the Sulphur fire, which on Thursday afternoon continued to hold at 2,500 acres, with containment unchanged at 45 percent containment, according to Cal Fire.
The damage assessment process as well as plans for repopulation and recovery will be discussed.
Emergency personnel continue to monitor the fire activity related to the Tubbs, Pocket and Redwood/Potter fires.
If the situation worsens, emergency personnel will issue mandatory evacuation notices.
There are still two evacuation shelters open. The shelters are located at Twin Pine Casino in Middletown and the Seventh-day Adventist Church located at 1111 Park Way in Lakeport. Anyone in need of shelter as a result of the recent fires is encouraged to go to one of the shelters.
The Konocti and Middletown Unified school districts have canceled school for Friday. The Kelseyville Unified School District will be making a decision later on Thursday.
The Lakeport, Upper Lake, and Lucerne school districts will have normal class schedules for Friday.
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Prior to initial repopulation efforts which began Tuesday, Lake County News shot a driving tour of the Sulphur fire area perimeter.
The fire has burned 2,500 acres in and around Clearlake Oaks and the city of Clearlake since early Monday morning.
This video has been widely requested by readers who want to know what the area looks like.
It focuses mainly on affected areas surrounding the fire. Some portions of the video are edited out for time.
The video is from two synced cameras to capture different angles with unaffected areas edited out.
The most affected area begins on Lakeshore Drive with two cameras aimed at the road and side areas.
We apologize if this video is painful to view as many homes are gone.
Not shown in the video is the origination of the fire which will be the subject of an upcoming article.
Email John Jensen at