CLEARLAKE, Calif. – City, county and state officials hosted a town hall event on Monday evening in order to give an update on the impacts of the Sulphur fire.
The fire began early Sunday morning near Clearlake Oaks, made a run over Mount Baldy and descended ferociously into the city of Clearlake, where thousands of residents were told to evacuate, according to officials.
By the end of the day on Monday, the fire had grown to 2,500 acres, with 5 percent containment, according to Lake County Fire Chief Willie Sapeta, who is helping manage the incident along with Cal Fire Battalion Chief Mike Wink, the incident commander.
Officials said the cause remains under investigation.
Sapeta explained that containment means that the area is 100-percent extinguished, is mopped up 300 to 500 feet into the perimeter, and is guaranteed not to rekindle.
The meeting came at the end of a long, exhausting and dangerous day for firefighters and first responders, and an anxious stretch of time away from home for evacuated residents.
As several hundred community members crowded into the Clearlake Senior Center on Monday evening, the sky outside was gray and smoke-filled, shot through with a blood-orange sun.
The Lake County Air Quality Management District reported that the county’s clean air had been seriously degraded in the short term by smoke from the Sulphur fire and the other devastating fires in neighboring Mendocino, Napa and Sonoma counties.
Many residents indicated that they wanted to know when the mandatory evacuations would be lifted and they could go home, but that was one answer that wasn’t readily available.
Clearlake Mayor Russell Perdock, who along with Vice Mayor Bruno Sabatier also are among the evacuees, said they would have to be inconvenienced for a short time in the interest of safety, noting the major destruction on the city’s west side.
Perdock and fire officials on Monday also couldn’t give numbers yet on how many structures have been damaged and destroyed by the fire.
Sapeta said the assessment work is expected to start on Tuesday.
Northshore Fire Deputy Chief Mike Ciancio gave an update on the beginnings of the fire, explaining that it started at about 12:45 a.m. Monday near the Elem Indian Colony in the Northshore Fire Protection District.
By that point, “Resources were stretched thin,” he said, as fire resources were being distributed to hard-hit areas like Napa and Sonoma counties.
Ciancio was first at the scene, and when he arrived the fire already was 75 acres. There were sustained winds of up to 40 miles per hour, with gusts up to 50 miles per hour.
The fire was at that time on both sides of Sulphur Bank Road around the Elem Colony. He said it moved up the hill and extended up the road to the split at Sulphur Bank Road and North Drive.
He said he was most concerned with the safety of residents, and also worked to protect homes at Elem.
Local firefighters then entered into unified command with Cal Fire and Wink acting as incident commander.
Wink said they determined the “box” – or area – where they wanted to confine the fire, and have managed to keep it in that area.
Getting help was difficult. “The resources trickled in through the night,” Wink said.
He said they were actively engaged in rescuing people and then moved to protect structures, and suppress and contain the fire.
As of Monday evening, he said 235 firefighters were on the scene, with representation from all Lake County fire agencies and the US Forest Service’s Mendocino National Forest firefighters.
He said Lake County Animal Care and Control’s Lake Evacuation and Animal Protection is rescuing animals and every agency has stepped up to offer assistance.
Sapeta had headed up a strike team of local engines that responded to the Tubbs fire in Napa County hours ahead of the beginning of the Sulphur fire, so when he returned the work already was under way.
On Monday he said they worked on containment and perimeter security, and are already looking at a repopulation and recovery plan in cooperation with the Lake County Office of Emergency Services.
“We are still in a very critical fire season,” he said, emphasizing the importance of paying attention to one’s surroundings, being prepared at all times and understanding that the fire season is year-round.
He said they won’t allow repopulation until the life and safety components are addressed. Those include dealing with hazard trees, damaged power poles and other issues connected with the fire that will potentially harm returning residents.
“We will be here for the long haul,” he said, explaining that the fire seasons that he’s seen since taking over as chief in 2012 “have been profoundly different than anything we’ve seen.”
Sapeta, who just a year ago was in the heart of the fight against the destructive power of Lower Lake’s Clayton fire, became emotional as he spoke to the group.
“I truly am sorry for the loss of your homes,” he said, his voice breaking.
He added that the fire crews “really did everything we could.”
On Tuesday he said fire officials will work with city and county officials and begin looking at the initial damage estimate. He said he hopes to get people into recovery quickly.
“It’s very painful to see this,” said Lt. Hector Paredes, commander of the Clear Lake Area Highway Patrol office, noting the county is going into its third year of devastating wildland fires.
He said the big question related to getting safely in and out of the county.
He said that no state highways in Lake County – Highways 20, 29 and 175 – are closed due to the fire, so residents can leave if necessary, and he suggested that if they need to that they head east.
He said his officers are helping the Clearlake Police Department to patrol the evacuation area in order to help protect the community.
Acting Clearlake Police Chief Tim Celli said his department coordinated with other agencies that led to sending out 4,900 messages to people in the area urging them to evacuate.
He emphasized that the evacuation area also is a disaster area, and people are not allowed to be there under the law. Areas under mandatory evacuations in Clearlake include Second Street to 17th Street, San Joaquin to Windflower Point, the Burns Valley area to Smith Lane and North Drive, and Sulphur Bank Road in Clearlake Oaks.
He said many different agencies – including Fish and Wildlife, Lakeport Police, the CHP and the District Attorney’s Office – are helping patrol the area around the clock, and an additional 13 officers were working with Clearlake Police on Monday night to keep the evacuation area safe.
Sheriff Brian Martin said Gov. Jerry Brown has declared a statewide disaster, which means Lake County must now compete with other areas for the same resources.
He said he’s been in touch with State Sen. Mike McGuire and Assemblywoman Cecelia to ensure that Lake County’s needs aren’t forgotten.
Martin said he has made a request for a mobile cell tower in the fire area and is seeking other help for evacuees.
The Salvation Army is providing meals, the Red Cross is staffing the shelters, and Lake County’s Public Health and Behavioral Health departments are providing assistance to community members impacted by the fire, Martin said.
He said the most active part of the fire at that point was out toward Windflower Point and North Drive.
Officials also discouraged the donation of items for fire victims, explaining that they don’t have a place to store them.
Martin said while people may have the best of intentions in donating used items, donations often become the second disaster.
He suggested that if people want to help they should donate money or give items like gift and gas cards.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County’s air quality has been seriously degraded as the result of the Sulphur fire as well as other major wildland fires around the region.
The smoke and haze currently visible through areas of Lake County are primarily the result of the Sulphur fire in the Clearlake and Clearlake Oaks areas, according to Air Pollution Control Officer Doug Gearhart of the Lake County Air Quality Management District.
Gearhart said other active fires in the region may add to the smoke impacts in Lake County.
The “unhealthy” to “hazardous” air quality alert results from the forecast for higher levels of smoke and other air pollutants contained in the smoke, and multiple fires burning in our region, Gearhart said.
The Air Quality Management District is actively monitoring the smoke impacts. Gearhart said current particulate levels in lake county are reaching “moderate” to “unhealthy for sensitive individuals” in many areas.
The highest levels of smoke are expected along the north shore of Clear Lake, the city of Clearlake and surrounding areas. Gearhart said those areas may experience “unhealthy” to “hazardous” air quality and individuals should take precautions.
The smoke can be expected to continue impacting Lake County with potential for unhealthy levels through all areas of the county as the winds shift through the next couple days, Gearhart said.
Gearhart said smoky conditions can cause irritation of the eyes, nose and air passages. These conditions can be hazardous for sensitive individual including young children, the elderly, individuals with heart conditions, and those with chronic lung disease such as asthma, bronchitis, and other respiratory conditions.
Individuals with asthma, bronchitis, emphysema and other lung or heart diseases should carefully adhere to their medical treatment plans and maintain at least a five-day supply of prescribed medications. They should limit outdoor activity and unnecessary physical exertion. Air conditioning that recirculates indoor air should be used, when available, Gearhart said.
Health officials said drinking plenty of water to avoid drying of the airways is recommended, unless restricted for medical reasons.
Dust masks are not protective against the ultrafine particulate, which is the pollutant most detrimental to health caused by wildfire smoke. Air purifying respirators, such as N-95 filtering face pieces, may be effective in reducing some of the harmful particulate matter, but they also increase the work of breathing, can lead to physiologic stress, and are not recommended as a general protective measure, officials said.
With air quality forecast to be in the “unhealthy” range, people are recommended to use caution, avoid strenuous activity, avoid outdoor activities when possible, and reduce other sources of air pollution (such as smoking, use of aerosol products, frying or broiling meats, burning candles, vacuuming, etc.) and be prepared for rapidly changing conditions, Gearhart said.
Gearhart said localized areas of very unhealthy or hazardous air quality, regional haze, and particulate from these fires can be expected until the regional fires are fully contained. Take appropriate measures until the smoke clears.
LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lakeport Planning Commission this week will continue its work on proposed draft regulations for commercial marijuana operations in the city, discuss updates regarding personal marijuana cultivation and consider an application for a Dollar General store.
The commission will meet beginning at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 11, in the council chambers at Lakeport City Hall, 225 Park St.
On the commission’s agenda is an item to receive public input regarding possible amendments to city rules regarding commercial marijuana, or cannabis.
Last month the commission discussed the updated commercial regulations – which are being pursued due to changes in state law including Proposition 64 and SB 94 – and held a special meeting with the Lakeport City Council last week.
Separately, later in the meeting the commission will review proposed revisions to the Lakeport Zoning Ordinance regarding noncommercial cannabis cultivation for personal use in order to be consistent with Proposition 64.
In other news, the commission will discuss Cross Development’s application for an architectural and design review to build a 9,100-square-foot Dollar General store on a vacant lot 1405 South Main Street.
The commission held a public hearing on the application in July and turned down the application due to concerns that it did not qualify for a staff-proposed exemption under the California Environmental Quality Act, as Lake County News has reported.
However, the Lakeport City Council followed up in August by granting Cross Development’s appeal, allowing the project to move forward.
Also on Wednesday, staff will update the commission on a list of projects pending Planning Department approval as of Oct. 5 and set the date for a special Oct. 25 meeting.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Firefighters are still in the thick of the battle to contain a wildland fire that began in Clearlake Oaks before moving over the hill and into the city of Clearlake, destroying properties and blackening thousands of acres.
The Sulphur fire, which began early Monday morning, remains active and dangerous, officials said at a Monday evening town hall held specifically to discuss the incident.
Lake County Fire Chief Willie Sapeta told community members at the event, held at the Clearlake Senior Center, that the Sulphur fire was estimated to have burned 2,500 acres, with only 5 percent containment.
“That’ll definitely improve through the night,” he said.
A positive piece of news is that, thus far, officials have not confirmed any deaths directly attributable to the Sulphur fire, Sheriff Brian Martin told Lake County News after the Monday night meeting.
Martin said there were a few deaths reported during the evacuation process, however, they were not suspicious in nature.
He added that they are still checking on people and have not been able to get into some fire-impacted areas.
That’s in contrast to the fire-related death toll in other parts of the region, where it’s reported that at least 10 people have died, including one confirmed by Cal Fire in Mendocino County’s Redwood Complex.
The Sulphur fire – seen here on Monday, October 9, 2017 – continues to burn actively in and around Clearlake, Calif., and Clearlake Oaks, Calif. Photo by Kurt Jensen. What Sapeta and other local and state officials couldn’t answer on Monday was how many structures had been destroyed or damaged in the blaze, one of more than 14 major incidents burning around Northern California since late Sunday and early Monday morning.
Cal Fire Director Ken Pimlott told reporters during a Monday briefing that damage assessments on the region’s major fire incidents hadn’t yet begun at that point, and it was a process he expected to see get under way over the coming two days.
The situation was the same in Lake County, where on Monday Cal Fire Battalion Chief Mike Wink, incident commander for the Sulphur fire, and Sapeta said they were still engaged in active firefighting and so hadn’t yet been able to catalog the destruction or report where specifically it had taken place.
The chiefs said that initial damage assessment process is expected to start on Tuesday in an effort to inform residents of the status of their homes.
Hampering the move from response to recovery is the continuing active nature of the fire and dynamic weather conditions.
Lake and other fire-impacted counties have been under a red flag warning since Sunday.
The National Weather Service issued that warning through Tuesday due to the forecast of high winds and critical fire weather.
As it turned out, those predictions all came true in unexpected and horrifying fashion across Lake, Mendocino, Napa and Sonoma counties, as well as other parts of the North State.
Reports from the firefighting effort on Monday indicated that the wind had shifted 180 degrees and was now coming from the southwest, with cooler temperatures and higher humidity aiding firefighters.
However, dry northeast winds are back in the forecast beginning on Wednesday morning, which could once again hamper efforts to contain the fires and get displaced residents back home.
Meanwhile, City Manager Greg Folsom on Monday was able to report that no city facilities had burned.
However, he was at that point not sure about the condition of city infrastructure, noting that power remained out on the west side of Clearlake.
Pacific Gas and Electric Co. reported that 2,500 people in and around Clearlake and Clearlake Oaks remained without power nearly 24 hours after the outage was reported. Residents of Lucerne who were out of power for more than 16 hours had their power restored on Monday afternoon.
The Clearlake Police Department on Monday emphasized that the mandatory evacuation area in Clearlake is closed to the public, and that it’s a crime to remain or enter into the closed area.
Clearlake Police Department interim Chief Tim Celli said his department is being aided by numerous other local law enforcement agencies in round-the-clock patrolling of the evacuation area in an effort to provide for the security of property. Anyone contacted in the closed is subject to arrest, he said.
Celli said that 4,900 evacuation notices had been sent to residents on Monday.
The damage from the Sulphur fire seen along Lakeshore Drive from Island Park in Clearlake, Calif., on Monday, October 9, 2017. Photo by Jim Rexrode. Two shelters were opened in Lake County, one at Twin Pine Casino in Middletown – which had filled up – and the second at Grace Church, 6716 Live Oak Drive in Kelseyville.
Because of the fire and evacuation situation, some schools will remain closed on Tuesday, officials said.
Konocti Unified School District Superintendent Donna Becnel said that all her district’s schools will be closed on Tuesday due to the fires and evacuations.
The Lake County Office of Education said other school districts around Lake County are planning to be open on Tuesday.
At the college level, both the Lake County Campus of Woodland Community College and all Mendocino College sites will remain closed on Tuesday.
In other fire-related news, on Monday Golden State Water Co. issued a precautionary boil water notice to approximately 500 Clearlake residents along Lakeshore Drive, north of and including San Joaquin Drive, in the evacuation area.
The precautionary boil water notice was issued due to a temporary loss of pressure in parts of the Clearlake system as a result of the Sulphur fire.
“When the water system loses pressure, even temporarily, it is possible for contaminants to enter the system,” said Dawn White, water quality manager for Golden State Water. “We have no evidence of anything harmful entering the system, but issued the precautionary boil water notice until test results can demonstrate that the water is safe.”
Golden State Water will inform impacted customers when they no longer need to boil the water.
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 Clearlake, Calif., neighborhood on Monday, October 9, 2017, in the wake of the Sulphur fire. Photo by Kurt Jensen.
NORTH COAST, Calif. – A wildland fire complex that began overnight has turned fatal.
Cal Fire said the Redwood complex, burning in Potter and Redwood valleys, has led to one civilian death.
The complex – first reported just after 10:30 p.m. Sunday – has so far burned a total of 10,000 acres, with zero containment, Cal Fire said.
Cal Fire said the complex has destroyed 80 structures so far.
Information about the individual who died in the fire was not immediately available.
Cal Fire also reported that there have been two serious injuries to civilians during the incident.
Resources committed to the complex have grown since the early morning.
Cal Fire said late on Monday morning that a total of 410 personnel – including 42 overhead staff and 10 chief officers – are assigned, along with 26 engine companies, eight fire crews, five water tenders, four bulldozers, two air tankers, one air attack and one helicopter.
Additional information will be posted as it becomes available.
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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