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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – More progress was made in fully containing Lake County’s Sulphur fire on Wednesday, but other fires around the region continued to grow steadily.
Cal Fire’s Wednesday evening report said that the Sulphur fire, burning since early Monday near Clearlake and Clearlake Oaks, remained at 2,500 acres, with containment up to 45 percent.
Damage assessments remain under way in the fire area, with no total yet given on damaged and destroyed structures.
Sheriff Brian Martin had reported earlier this week that he believed there were as many as 150 burned residences, primarily in the city of Clearlake.
While some evacuees in the city of Clearlake were allowed to return home on Tuesday evening, many Sulphur fire area residents remain evacuated, officials reported.
The Sulphur fire has been combined with the Mendocino County Complex – composed of two major fires in Potter and Redwood valleys – and renamed the Mendocino Lake Complex.
With a need for more firefighting personnel, Cal Fire officials reported that resources were being moved off of the Sulphur fire in order to fight the fires in Mendocino County, which by Wednesday night had scorched 30,000 acres, were 5-percent contained and prompting more evacuations.
The Mendocino County complex’s death toll has doubled to six lives lost, with the number expected to grow, according to Mendocino County Sheriff Tom Allman.
Allman said it’s the biggest disaster for the county of Mendocino since the Jonestown Massacre of 1978.
Weather conditions around the North Coast contributed to what Tim Chavez, a fire behavior analyst with Cal Fire, called a “perfect storm” during a Wednesday briefing on the Mendocino Lake Complex.
Chavez said that, normally in mid-October, fire danger on the North Coast is rapidly going decreasing.
“This year, something’s going on,” he said.
For the 16 days prior to the Sunday night fire storm that set off storms around the North Coast, the relative humidity was never above 40 percent during the day and night, Chavez said.
He called the conditions “very unusual,” and explained that the result was fuels that were extremely dried out. When the winds hit on Sunday night, the fire moved fast – in the case of the Mendocino County complex, it moved about four miles in two hours, causing devastation.
“Those conditions, except for the wind speed, really haven’t changed,” said Chavez.
He added, “This still remains as very challenging fire.”
On Wednesday evening officials also increased the mandatory evacuation area in Potter Valley and issued new evacuation warnings in Potter Valley as well, with that warning area covering locations stretching to the Lake County line.
Elsewhere around the region, there was significant growth on major fire incidents on Wednesday.
The Tubbs fire in Napa and Sonoma counties, which has continued its push toward Lake County, resulted in the Lake County Sheriff’s Office issuing a Wednesday morning advisory evacuation notice for the Middletown area.
The fire’s growth and movement also led to a mandatory evacuation order on Wednesday afternoon for all of the city of Calistoga, according to the Napa County Sheriff’s Office.
By nightfall, the Tubbs fire had grown to approximately 27,363 acres and 10-percent containment, Cal Fire said.
While on Wednesday evening fire mapping showed that the Tubbs fire had not moved into Lake County’s borders, with ever-changing conditions and a red flag warning still in effect for Lake and surrounding counties, authorities are on high alert.
“We’re not out of the woods,” Sheriff Brian Martin told community members at a meeting at Twin Pine Casino in Middletown on Wednesday evening.
Later on Wednesday night, Napa County officials said all mandatory evacuation orders were remaining in place.
The Sonoma County Coroner's Office on Wednesday said it had confirmed another two deaths due to the Tubbs fire, bringing the death toll to 13.
Another fire nearing southern Lake County is the Pocket fire, burning near Geyserville.
It grew by thousands of acres on Wednesday, reaching an estimated 4,000 acres by nightfall, with no containment reported, according to Cal Fire.
The Pocket fire’s rapid growth led to the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office issuing mandatory evacuations in Geyserville, extending on Highway 128 east to River Rock Casino, and south on Highway 128 to Geysers Road up to Calpine.
Fire mapping on Wednesday night also showed the Pocket fire to still be some distance away from Lake County’s border.
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CLEARLAKE, Calif. – In response to the Sulphur fire, the Clearlake City Council this week will discuss approving a local emergency and consider updated regulations related to marijuana dispensaries.
The council will meet in closed session starting at 5:30 p.m. to discuss a case of anticipated litigation before the open portion of the meeting begins at 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 12, in the council chambers at Clearlake City Hall, 14050 Olympic Drive.
One of the main items of business Thursday will be the ratification of a local emergency due to the Sulphur fire, which began shortly before 1 a.m. on Monday and has burned 2,500 acres and destroyed an as-yet unconfirmed number of structures in and around the city.
City Manager Greg Folsom told Lake County News he declared a local emergency due to the fire early on Monday. The council must now take action to ratify it.
Also on the agenda, the council will hold a public hearing to consider two ordinances, one relating to commercial marijuana, or cannabis, and the second to update the city’s existing marijuana dispensary ordinance.
The draft commercial ordinance includes, among other things, creation of a commercial cannabis business overlay zone, allowance for up to 12 cannabis business use permits and the requirement for a development agreement, while the new marijuana dispensary rules call for allowing deliveries without dispensary storefronts and includes changes to allow for the business overlay zone.
Other items on Thursday’s agenda are proclamations declaring October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month and Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and a presentation by City Clerk Melissa Swanson on the city’s Halloween trick-or-treat party.
Items on the consent agenda – items considered noncontroversial and usually accepted as a slate on one vote – are warrant registers, Resolution No. 2017-77 to declare surplus property and consideration of a second reading setting procedures for expediting permitting processing for electric vehicle charging stations.
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.
The council will meet in closed session starting at 5:30 p.m. to discuss a case of anticipated litigation before the open portion of the meeting begins at 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 12, in the council chambers at Clearlake City Hall, 14050 Olympic Drive.
One of the main items of business Thursday will be the ratification of a local emergency due to the Sulphur fire, which began shortly before 1 a.m. on Monday and has burned 2,500 acres and destroyed an as-yet unconfirmed number of structures in and around the city.
City Manager Greg Folsom told Lake County News he declared a local emergency due to the fire early on Monday. The council must now take action to ratify it.
Also on the agenda, the council will hold a public hearing to consider two ordinances, one relating to commercial marijuana, or cannabis, and the second to update the city’s existing marijuana dispensary ordinance.
The draft commercial ordinance includes, among other things, creation of a commercial cannabis business overlay zone, allowance for up to 12 cannabis business use permits and the requirement for a development agreement, while the new marijuana dispensary rules call for allowing deliveries without dispensary storefronts and includes changes to allow for the business overlay zone.
Other items on Thursday’s agenda are proclamations declaring October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month and Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and a presentation by City Clerk Melissa Swanson on the city’s Halloween trick-or-treat party.
Items on the consent agenda – items considered noncontroversial and usually accepted as a slate on one vote – are warrant registers, Resolution No. 2017-77 to declare surplus property and consideration of a second reading setting procedures for expediting permitting processing for electric vehicle charging stations.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Several schools and the county’s two community colleges are expected to remain closed through the rest of the week due to fire conditions, officials said Wednesday.
While containment on the Sulphur fire near Clearlake and Clearlake Oaks is rising, there are concerns about other fires around the region that have led to advisory evacuation notices in Middletown and the Pillsbury Basin, as Lake County News has reported.
For the rest of the week, schools will be closed in the Konocti Unified School District, as well as Middletown Unified and the Clearlake Community School, according to Rob Young, the Lake County Office of Education’s emergency services and special projects coordinator.
Young said Kelseyville Unified will be closed on Thursday. No decision has yet been made for Friday.
Local schools planning to be open on Thursday include the Upper Lake, Lakeport and Lucerne Elementary school districts, Young said.
At the community college level, Woodland Community College’s Lake County Campus in Clearlake has suspended classes for Thursday and Friday, according to Executive Dean Annette Lee.
Mendocino College is keeping its campuses in Lake and Mendocino counties closed through Sunday due to the region’s fire, according to spokesperson Jessica Silva.
Silva said that closure covers the main campus in Ukiah, the North County Center in Willits, the Lake Center in Lakeport and Coast Center in Fort Bragg.
She said all classes and on-campus activities will resume on Monday.
No damage has been reported at the Lake County school districts or at the community college facilities, officials said.
Silva said the North County Center has not had power but they were hoping to have it restored on Wednesday.
Mendocino College also is making bathroom and shower facilities in the Ukiah Campus’ Athletic Building open for public use 24 hours a day. Towels, shampoo, soap, and other hygiene items are provided, Silva said.
Additionally, Silva said tent camping will be allowed on athletic fields as well as RV/camper parking in the parking lots. The college does not have hook-ups, however, the restroom and shower facilities are available to everyone.
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.
While containment on the Sulphur fire near Clearlake and Clearlake Oaks is rising, there are concerns about other fires around the region that have led to advisory evacuation notices in Middletown and the Pillsbury Basin, as Lake County News has reported.
For the rest of the week, schools will be closed in the Konocti Unified School District, as well as Middletown Unified and the Clearlake Community School, according to Rob Young, the Lake County Office of Education’s emergency services and special projects coordinator.
Young said Kelseyville Unified will be closed on Thursday. No decision has yet been made for Friday.
Local schools planning to be open on Thursday include the Upper Lake, Lakeport and Lucerne Elementary school districts, Young said.
At the community college level, Woodland Community College’s Lake County Campus in Clearlake has suspended classes for Thursday and Friday, according to Executive Dean Annette Lee.
Mendocino College is keeping its campuses in Lake and Mendocino counties closed through Sunday due to the region’s fire, according to spokesperson Jessica Silva.
Silva said that closure covers the main campus in Ukiah, the North County Center in Willits, the Lake Center in Lakeport and Coast Center in Fort Bragg.
She said all classes and on-campus activities will resume on Monday.
No damage has been reported at the Lake County school districts or at the community college facilities, officials said.
Silva said the North County Center has not had power but they were hoping to have it restored on Wednesday.
Mendocino College also is making bathroom and shower facilities in the Ukiah Campus’ Athletic Building open for public use 24 hours a day. Towels, shampoo, soap, and other hygiene items are provided, Silva said.
Additionally, Silva said tent camping will be allowed on athletic fields as well as RV/camper parking in the parking lots. The college does not have hook-ups, however, the restroom and shower facilities are available to everyone.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Lake County Air Quality District on Wednesday said that air quality conditions have continued to degrade as a result of the large wildland fires burning around the North Coast.
Air Pollution Control Officer Doug Gearhart issued an air quality alert warning of “unhealthy for sensitive individuals” to “unhealthy for everyone” conditions due to continued high levels of smoke and other air pollutants lingering in Lake County.
Gearhart said the smoke and haze currently visible through areas of Lake County are primarily the result of the Tubbs fire in Napa and Sonoma counties, the Atlas and Partrick fires in Napa County, the Nuns Fire and Pocket fires in Sonoma County, the Mendocino County Complex fire in Mendocino County, and localized impacts from the Sulphur fire in Lake County.
He said other active fires in Northern California may add to the smoke impacts in Lake County.
The Sulphur fire was being held at 2,500 acres with containment at 40 percent, according to Cal Fire.
The Tubbs fire’s approach to Lake County had prompted an advisory evacuation notice from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office on Wednesday morning.
The sheriff’s office issued another advisory evacuation for the Lake Pillsbury Basin on Wednesday afternoon because of the growth of the Mendocino County Complex.
Gearhart said current particulate levels in Lake County have been in the “unhealthy” range in many areas with short periods of improved air quality since late afternoon on Monday.
He said the highest levels of smoke are expected to continue into Thursday, though the air quality monitoring models indicate Lake County may get clearing winds from Wednesday through Thursday, which could significantly improve local air quality.
However, those same winds could increase fire activity locally and around the region, and are the reason for a red flag warning issued by the National Weather Service that’s in effect until 5 p.m. Thursday, as Lake County News has reported.
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.
Air Pollution Control Officer Doug Gearhart issued an air quality alert warning of “unhealthy for sensitive individuals” to “unhealthy for everyone” conditions due to continued high levels of smoke and other air pollutants lingering in Lake County.
Gearhart said the smoke and haze currently visible through areas of Lake County are primarily the result of the Tubbs fire in Napa and Sonoma counties, the Atlas and Partrick fires in Napa County, the Nuns Fire and Pocket fires in Sonoma County, the Mendocino County Complex fire in Mendocino County, and localized impacts from the Sulphur fire in Lake County.
He said other active fires in Northern California may add to the smoke impacts in Lake County.
The Sulphur fire was being held at 2,500 acres with containment at 40 percent, according to Cal Fire.
The Tubbs fire’s approach to Lake County had prompted an advisory evacuation notice from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office on Wednesday morning.
The sheriff’s office issued another advisory evacuation for the Lake Pillsbury Basin on Wednesday afternoon because of the growth of the Mendocino County Complex.
Gearhart said current particulate levels in Lake County have been in the “unhealthy” range in many areas with short periods of improved air quality since late afternoon on Monday.
He said the highest levels of smoke are expected to continue into Thursday, though the air quality monitoring models indicate Lake County may get clearing winds from Wednesday through Thursday, which could significantly improve local air quality.
However, those same winds could increase fire activity locally and around the region, and are the reason for a red flag warning issued by the National Weather Service that’s in effect until 5 p.m. Thursday, as Lake County News has reported.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Lake County Sheriff's Office on Wednesday afternoon issued an evacuation advisory notice for the Lake Pillsbury Basin area due to fire activity in nearby Mendocino County.
Lt. Corey Paulich said this advisory was issued due to fire activity related to the Mendocino County Complex burning in Redwood and Potter valleys.
Paulich said residents should only use Elk Mountain Road while leaving the area.
Communication in the Pillsbury Basin is limited and the sheriff’s office is asking residents if they have contact with anyone in that area to please pass this information on to them, Paulich said.
Do not go to the area to deliver this information. Paulich said the sheriff's office will be sending personnel to the area to make the notifications.
An evacuation advisory is not a mandatory evacuation, but it is strongly recommended, Paulich said.
Residents are advised to gather their medications, pets and important papers. Paulich said residents should be prepared to leave the area with little notice.
If the situation worsens the sheriff’s office will issue a mandatory evacuation notice, Paulich said.
Anyone who is evacuating and in need of shelter can go to the evacuation shelter at the Seventh-day Adventist Church located at 1111 Park Way in Lakeport.
Lt. Corey Paulich said this advisory was issued due to fire activity related to the Mendocino County Complex burning in Redwood and Potter valleys.
Paulich said residents should only use Elk Mountain Road while leaving the area.
Communication in the Pillsbury Basin is limited and the sheriff’s office is asking residents if they have contact with anyone in that area to please pass this information on to them, Paulich said.
Do not go to the area to deliver this information. Paulich said the sheriff's office will be sending personnel to the area to make the notifications.
An evacuation advisory is not a mandatory evacuation, but it is strongly recommended, Paulich said.
Residents are advised to gather their medications, pets and important papers. Paulich said residents should be prepared to leave the area with little notice.
If the situation worsens the sheriff’s office will issue a mandatory evacuation notice, Paulich said.
Anyone who is evacuating and in need of shelter can go to the evacuation shelter at the Seventh-day Adventist Church located at 1111 Park Way in Lakeport.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. -- According to the Lake County Sheriff's Office, the evacuation shelter, previously located at the Grace Church in Kelseyville,
has been relocated to the Seventh Day Adventist Church located at 1111 Park Way, Lakeport.
Anyone in need of shelter as a result of the Sulphur Fire are encouraged to go to the Seventh Day Adventist Church in Lakeport.
The phone numbers for the shelter are 707-496- 5878 and 707-530-1560.
has been relocated to the Seventh Day Adventist Church located at 1111 Park Way, Lakeport.
Anyone in need of shelter as a result of the Sulphur Fire are encouraged to go to the Seventh Day Adventist Church in Lakeport.
The phone numbers for the shelter are 707-496- 5878 and 707-530-1560.