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SOUTH LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Officials have released damage inspection information that maps the destruction the Valley fire has left behind in south Lake County's communities.
The county of Lake, in conjunction with Cal Fire, made the information available at the Lake County Assistance Center Web site, www.lakecountylac.com , as of Saturday night.
Along with maps, the county released an initial list of parcels where Cal Fire damage inspection teams have confirmed structures were either destroyed or damaged.
The map above, created by Lake County News using the parcel data the county released, shows several hundred impacted properties in the communities of Cobb Mountain, Hidden Valley Lake, Middletown and the surrounding areas.
“One of our priorities is to release the information as soon as possible and to ensure support services are available for our community,” said County Administrative Officer Matt Perry. “Numerous county and state resources have been working around the clock since the start of the Valley fire to assist those impacted.”
The county said it will update the information as Cal Fire's damage inspection teams continue to survey the fire area and collect and confirm additional data.
“As we anticipate the number of homes destroyed to rise, we are making social and mental health services available for those affected,” said District 5 Supervisor Rob Brown.
More information about services may be found at www.lakecountylac.com or by calling toll-free at 800-325-9604.
SOUTH LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – As officials prepare to let more south county residents go home, Cal Fire said the Valley fire has reached the 50-percent containment.
The fire – which began Sept. 12 – had burned 74,500 acres as of Saturday night, according to Cal Fire.
Cal Fire Battalion Chief Mike Smith said at a Saturday press briefing that the 800 acres of growth on the fire Saturday was the result of firefighters conducting burning operations.
Authorities on Saturday allowed Middletown residents to return home, and announced that Hidden Valley Lake residents along with those living in the Jerusalem Grade, Grange Road and Butts Canyon Road areas would be able to go home beginning at noon on Sunday.
The number of threatened structures as of Saturday night was at 6,563. Cal Fire said that its ongoing damage assessments had resulted in the number of structures destroyed rising to 888. That number was not separated out into resources and other kinds of buildings.
Resources dedicated to bringing the incident under full containment include approximately 4,275 personnel, 472 engines, 94 hand crews, 75 water tenders, 57 dozers, 23 helicopters and two air tankers, Cal Fire said.
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LAKEPORT, Calif. – Officials from around Lake County as well as representatives from Cal Fire shared the latest developments on the Valley fire on Saturday afternoon.
The briefings are taking place at 1 p.m. daily. Saturday's event was held at the Courthouse Museum.
At the start of the video, Sheriff Brian Martin talked with Lake County News about the repopulation effort.
At that point, Middletown was being repopulated. Later in the day, officials announced that Hidden Valley Lake was to be repopulated beginning at noon on Sunday.
Martin said he expects it will be at least a week before Cobb residents can head home.
Martin also discussed the presence of the National Guard, which arrived on Friday evening and will be on scene to assist with patrol and with escorting people to their homes to check on pets and livestock.
Supervisor Rob Brown noted at the event that it had been one week – to the hour – that the fire had broken out and changed so many lives.
Cal Fire Battalion Chief Mike Smith said at that time that the fire had grown to 74,500 acres, an 800-acre growth over Friday.
“That increase in acreage is not based on fire spread,” Smith said, but rather crews on the ground, burning out vegetation between existing fire lines and lines constructed by firefighters. That is meant to make mop up easier and faster.
Martin warned of potential dangers in the fire area, and asked people to use precautions when returning home to their properties.
He said the death toll remained at three, with his agency still following up on missing persons' reports.
The sheriff also noted that arrests of looters were continuing on an almost nightly basis. He called such people “disgusting.” He also warned of the potential for people trying to scam fire victims and the community.
Lake County Health Officer Dr. Karen Tait warned about the potential dangers to health from going through debris on burned properties.
She said a disaster distress help line is available to provide crisis counseling for those impacted by the wildfire. The number is 1-800-985-5990.
Tait said a local assistance center has opened at the Middletown Senior Center and a shelter is in place at Twin Pine Casino.
Jodi Traversaro, administrator for the California Office of Emergency Services Coastal Region, said the top mission for officials is to make sure that those impacted by the fire can return home safely.
She said it was critical that people adhere to public safety messages and use caution when heading home.
Traversaro said Home Depot has donated 50,000 gloves and masks for people returning home after the fires, and noted there has been a tremendous outpouring of support in the form of in-kind donations.
Those donations are being sorted and will be made available to those impacted by the fire, she said.
The full video can be seen above.
Video by McKenzie Paine for Lake County News.
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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Residents will need to prepare to deal with debris removal when returning to homes affected by the Valley fire.
As Cal Fire and the Lake County Sheriff’s Office begin to allow residents to return to their homes, officials said residents should prioritize the disposal of damaged goods.
Lake County has been working with a number of agencies to outline the disposal of the aftermath of the Valley fire.
Partners include the East Lake Landfill, South Lake Refuse, Cal Recycle, California Office of Emergency Services and California Department of Toxic Substances.
Most residents have been without electricity for more than a week. Disposal of food is the No. 1 priority.
For residents returning to homes, all three waste bins – trash, recycled and green/compost – can be used to dispose of all food products.
Trash bins will be picked up approximately three days after a neighborhood is repopulated.
Residents without bins should contact South Lake Refuse at 707-994-8613 to schedule replacement bins.
Twenty dumpsters will be strategically placed in the repopulated neighborhoods for the disposal of food items.
Dumpsters will be attended by volunteers to ensure that only appropriate items are disposed in these dumpsters.
Toxic substances and household hazard waste, such as paint and home hazardous products, will not be accepted in the dumpsters.
A household hazard waste sweep through the neighborhood, at no cost to residents, will be announced when more information is available.
For burned out areas, household hazard waste that is surrounded by ash should not be touched without proper protective gear, as there can be potential health hazards associated with it.
A local assistance center, located at the Middletown Senior Center/Library, will distribute gloves and masks daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
For more information about disposal of household goods, please contact the Lake County Office of Public Services at 707-262-1760.
SOUTH LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – After a week of being away from their homes due to the Valley fire, thousands of Hidden Valley Lake residents are to be allowed to return to their residences on Sunday afternoon.
Following a community meeting in Lower Lake on Saturday afternoon, Sheriff Brian Martin told Lake County News that the repopulation of Hidden Valley Lake was to begin at noon on Sunday.
Frustrated Hidden Valley Lake residents have been pushing to get back home, especially as reports have increased of looters making their way through communities evacuated due to the fire.
Shortly after the meeting ended, Cal Fire followed up with its own report, stating at that noon on Sunday the mandatory evacuation order would be lifted for the communities of Hidden Valley Lake, Jerusalem Grade, Grange Road and Butts Canyon Road.
Resident screening locations have been established at traffic control points, the agency said.
Access to Hidden Valley Lakes will be through the Hartmann Road entrance only and there will be
no Hidden Valley Lake access from Spruce Grove Road, according to Cal Fire.
To support the orderly return of residents to their homes, the following road closures have been revised, and go into effect at noon on Sunday:
– Hartmann Road at Highway 29 (screening location);
– Grange Road at Highway 29 (screening location);
– Butts Canyon Road at Highway 29 (screening location);
– Butts Canyon Rd at Snell Valley Rd (Screening location).
Cal Fire said Saturday evening that no additional evacuation orders were being lifted at that time.
Community members are urged to use special caution when reentering their homes, and to be aware that there may be hazards including dangerous chemicals and materials that are by-products of fires.
They're also asked to use caution when driving through the fire area, as thousands of firefighters are still at work.
Pacific Gas and Electric Co. said to avoid electrical wires that are down and to call them immediately at 1-800-743-5000 if downed lines are encountered. The company also asks residents not to connect generators without a licensed electrician.
Hundreds of trees and poles in the south county have been damaged and should be considered hazardous, officials said.
PG&E is ready to assist and will provide a mobile command vehicle, local customer service, and a reconnection staff to answer questions and provide resources. These services are located in the parking lot across the street from the Cowpoke Cafe, along Highway 29 in downtown Middletown, on Saturday and Sunday.
For additional information on returning home after a wildfire, go to: http://calfire.ca.gov/communications/downloads/fact_sheets/PGE_ReturningHomeAfterAfterAFire_print.pdf .
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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Last Saturday, a California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) officer based in Lake County risked his own life to save three lives in the Valley fire.
Warden Timothy Little was working mutual aid law enforcement safety patrols in Cobb in support of the effort to fight the Valley fire, officials said.
Little, other wildlife officers and numerous first responders were scrambling to evacuate residents trapped or needing assistance from their homes.
As the fire began to burn in Cobb, an emergency call went out that an elderly woman was trapped in her home on Pine Summit Road and needed immediate rescue.
Hearing radio calls that other units were unable to respond because of fire and debris in the roadway, Little headed toward the home.
Driving his four-wheel drive patrol vehicle through raging fire and burning road hazards, he found and entered the home, where he located an elderly woman trapped in the house with her 11-month-old granddaughter.
Little safely got both the woman and child out of their home, into his patrol truck and on the road to safety just minutes before fire destroyed the home. Both are now safe with family.
Shortly after this rescue, Little again put his own safety at risk to assist another elderly woman, this time needing transport due to serious medical needs.
When Little learned that no medical transport crews would be able to make it to the woman in time, he raced to Anderson Springs, 5 miles away, on Hot Springs Road in Middletown, to aid the woman.
After locating the house, he found the woman trapped on the second floor, unable to walk. Little carried her down a flight of stairs to a civilian vehicle and escorted them out of immediate danger before continuing to assist in other searches.
“The entire department is incredibly proud of every warden in the field who is supporting efforts to fight the raging wildfires in northern California,” said CDFW Chief of Patrol David Bess. “Tim Little’s bravery and courage are a credit to both CDFW and the state of California.”
Little became a warden in Lake County in January 2011 after graduating from the CDFW Academy, as Lake County News has reported.
CDFW has more than 20 wildlife officers working around the clock to provide mutual aid support to allied law enforcement agencies, fire crews and paramedics fighting both the Butte fire in Amador and Calaveras counties and the Valley fire in Lake County.