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Middletown, Calif -- FEMA administrator Craig Fugate, District Supervisors Jim comstock and Rob Brown provide local disaster assistance info and Sheriff Brian Martin provides update about dog shooting. Entire press conference follows.
ANDERSON SPRINGS, Calif. – Residents of Anderson Springs who were forced to leave their homes due to the Valley fire will get to go home starting Thursday evening, according to Cal Fire.
Cal Fire said the mandatory evacuation order denying access to the community of Anderson
Springs will be lifted on Thursday at 5 p.m.
Municipal water services are not yet available, Cal Fire said. For information regarding water supplies, contact the Lake County Office of Emergency Services at 1-888-565-2787.
To support the return of residents to their homes, the following road closures will be revised as of 5 p.m. Thursday, Cal Fire said.
– Big Canyon Road, south of Perini Cut-off;
– Highway 175, south of Rockys Road;
– Harrington Flat Road, south of Sulphur Creek Road;
– Bottle Rock Road, south of High Valley Road;
– Big Canyon Road at Harbin Springs Road;
– Highway 175, south of Socrates Mine Road.
No additional evacuation orders are being lifted at this time, Cal Fire said.
The agency said that the cancellation of additional evacuation orders are being evaluated based on a variety of factors, including potential fire behavior and the reestablishment of crucial infrastructure.
The public is reminded to stay vigilant on current fire conditions. Please continue to adhere to road closures and any evacuation warnings or advisories.
If you see electrical wires on the ground, stay clear and contact Pacific Gas and Electric immediately at 1-800-743-5002.
Trees and poles with deep charring, particularly if still smoking, should be considered hazardous. Please drive slowly as emergency personnel operate in the area.
As you re-enter your property and evaluate damage, be aware that hazardous conditions may exist, particularly if a residence or out-building has burned.
Hazards may include asbestos, heavy metals, by-products of plastic combustion and various other chemicals.
For additional information on returning home after a wildfire, go to http://calfire.ca.gov/communications/downloads/fact_sheets/PGE_ReturningHomeAfterAfterAFire_print.pdf .
COBB, Calif. – The Lake County Sheriff's Office said that human remains found Tuesday night may be those of a Cobb man reported missing after the Valley fire began.
Lt. Steve Brooks said the remains are believed to be those of 66-year-old Robert Taylor Fletcher.
At 6:30 p.m. Tuesday deputies and detectives from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office and fire personnel were checking areas and conducting searches within the burn area of the Valley fire when they found the human remains in the Cobb area, Brooks said.
He said official identification of the remains is pending.
However, based on the location and evidence found at the Cobb location where the remains were discovered, they are presumed to be those of Fletcher, Brooks said.
Fletcher was reported missing on Sept. 16. He had last been heard from by a family member on Sept. 10, as Lake County News has reported.
Authorities have looked for 15 people reported as missing since the fire began Sept. 12, Sheriff Brian Martin said Tuesday.
With the discovery of what are believed to be Fletcher's remains, four of those people have been discovered deceased and authorities continue to look for one more, 61-year-old Robert Edward Litchman of Lower Lake.
If anyone has been unable to locate friends or family members since the Valley fire, they are encouraged to contact the Lake County Sheriff’s Office at 707-263-2690 so a missing person's report can be made.
MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – The Lake County Office of Emergency Services (OES) is hosting a community meeting at 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 24, at 6 p.m. at the Middletown High School football field.
Residents, homeowners and contractors are invited to attend the community meeting.
Federal, state and local representatives in attendance will include:
● District 5 Supervisor Rob Brown;
● District 1 Supervisor Jim Comstock;
● Rick Coel, director of the Lake County Community Development Department;
● Mark Dellinger, Special Districts administrator;
● Scott De Leon, director of the Lake County Department of Public Works;
● Sean Smith, recovery liaison for the California Office of Emergency Services;
● Keith Woods, North Coast Builders Exchange;
● Environmental Health;
● Pacific Gas and Electric Co.
United Policyholders will provide resources and information. The nonprofit 501 (c)(3) organization is dedicated to providing disaster recovery relief, with a mission of providing trustworthy and useful information for consumers with all types of insurance.
United Policyholders will be available to guide Valley fire victims through the entire claims process.
The North Coast Builders Exchange (NCBE) is a member-operated nonprofit association serving the construction industry in the California North Coast area. NCBE is committed to providing quality services and training to members, promoting professionalism and ethics in construction, and helping to create a high quality of life in the communities they serve.
NCBE Online is a service of the North Coast Builders Exchange dedicated to assisting NCBE members and providing helpful information and assistance to the public and the construction industry at large.
Middletown High School is located at 20932 Big Canyon Road.
For more information on United Policyholders visit www.unitedpolicyholders.org .
For more information on North Coast Builders Exchange visit www.ncbeonline.com .
SOUTH LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Firefighters held the Valley fire to no growth on Tuesday, while gaining additional percentage points on the containment side.
The fire remained at 76,067 acres on Tuesday night, with containment inching up to 79 percent.
The number of total structures destroyed remained at 1,910, as Cal Fire said final damage assessments take place to confirm the conclusions of an initial survey.
Cobb is the last area remaining community under evacuation. Structures still under threat in Cobb total 3,043, Cal Fire said.
Officials said Tuesday at a press briefing that Cobb remains under evacuation while fire suppression activities continue, with utility companies dealing with downed lines and damaged poles, and hazards continuing to be cleared.
Cal Fire said firefighters continue their work to strengthen and hold existing perimeter lines and put out hot spots across the fire area.
County Supervisor Jim Comstock told Lake County News that on his Middletown ranch, much of which burned in the first days of the fire, a smoldering oak tree lit up on Monday night, which resulted in him leaving a meeting and joining firefighters to see that it was put out.
Cal Fire said plans also are under way to do landscape rehabilitation in order to return control lines – as much as possible – to the condition they were in before the incident broke out on Sept. 12.
Resources continued to be scaled back on Tuesday, according to Cal Fire.
Total personnel had dropped to approximately 3,303, with 288 engines, 84 hand crews, 47 water tenders, 25 dozers and 10 helicopters also assigned, Cal Fire said.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-5) on Tuesday announced a $2 million Emergency Relief grant for the repair or reconstruction of federal-aid highways and roads on federal lands that have suffered serious damage as a result of the Valley fire.
The funds come from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration, or FHA.
“The Valley fire is the third worst fire in California’s history and has caused untold amounts of damage to critical infrastructure,” said Thompson. “There is a lot of rebuilding and recovery ahead of us, and repairing our roads is a big part of that process. I commend the FHA for their swift approval of these funds. They will help greatly as our community works to gets back on its feet.”
Emergency Relief funds are awarded to a state after the president or the governor issues a formal emergency declaration and the state files a request for Emergency Relief for the cost of damages to its eligible highways.
Eligible repair work includes emergency repairs needed to restore essential traffic, minimize the extent of damage, or protect the remaining facilities as well as permanent repairs necessary to restore the highway to its predisaster condition.
The Valley fire, which started on Sept. 12, has burned more than 76,000 acres and is currently 79-percent contained.
Thousands of people have been displaced, and 1,238 homes, 68 commercial properties and 642 outbuildings have been destroyed, officials reported.
The Valley fire has caused significant damage to area highways. The highway damage involves pavements, signs, guardrails and safety features, destabilized slopes and embankments, and debris from trees and burned structures.
Thompson represents California’s Fifth Congressional District, which includes all or part of Contra Costa, Lake, Napa, Solano and Sonoma counties.