How to resolve AdBlock issue? 
News
SOUTH LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Officials said cooler overnight temperatures and the impacts of Wednesday's rain helped keep the Valley fire's acreage growth down, but warmer temperatures are said to be on the way.
On Thursday morning Cal Fire said the fire had grown to 73,700 acres, with containment remaining at 35 percent.
Its current size makes it the second-largest wildland fire in Lake County's recorded fire history, behind only the 83,000-acre Forks fire of 1996 and just ahead of this summer's nearly 70,000-acre Rocky fire, based on official fire records.
The cause of the Valley fire, now in its fifth day, remains under investigation, Cal Fire said.
Cal Fire said the fire's behavior was moderated overnight due to cooler weather and rainy conditions.
The agency reported that more than half an inch of rain fell over portions of the fire on Wednesday, which assisted firefighters in strengthening and constructing additional fire lines.
However, the forecast include a warming trend that's expected to take place over the next few days with temperatures exceeding 90 degrees over the weekend, Cal Fire said.
Cal Fire said its damage inspection teams continue to gather information in the affected fire area.
The tally of destroyed homes on Thursday morning remained at 585, with officials stating that as access improves and additional information becomes available, the numbers of damaged or destroyed structures will change.
The inspection process is meticulous and ongoing, the agency said.
Personnel and equipment continue to arrive to join the firefighting effort.
Firefighting personnel numbered 3,580 as Thursday began, along with 441 engines, 70 water tenders, 68 hand crews, 64 dozers, 18 helicopters and two air tankers, Cal Fire said.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Lake County Sheriff's Office said remains that are believed to be those of two local men have been found in the burn area of the Valley fire, bringing the count of confirmed fatalities to three.
During the search, human remains were located in the Hidden Valley area and the Anderson Springs area, Brooks said.
Based on the location and evidence found at the Hidden Valley location, the remains are presumed to be those of Bruce Beven Burns, who was reported missing on Sept. 15, according to Brooks.
Regarding the remains found in Anderson Springs, Brooks said those are presumed to be Leonard Neft, who was reported missing on Sept. 14.
Authorities previously reported finding the body of an elderly disabled woman in her home in Anderson Springs, as Lake County News has reported.
If anyone has been unable to locate friends or family members since the Valley fire, Brooks said they are encouraged to contact the Lake County Sheriff’s Office at 707-263-2690 so a missing person report can be made.
“The sheriff’s office and all first responders express their condolences to those who have been affected by this disaster,” Brooks said. “We are hopeful that the fire does not claim any more lives.”
SOUTH LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – State and local agencies are working throughout the area impacted by the Valley fire to get a handle on the amount of damage that the fire has done to critical community infrastructure.
The Valley fire's level of destruction prompted Gov. Jerry Brown to declare a state of emergency for the county, just weeks after he had made a similar declaration due to the Rocky fire.
The full extent of the Valley fire's destruction likely won't be fully measured for some time to come.
Cal Fire reported that its assessment teams are continuing to work their way through the fire's massive footprint, working around areas of the fire that are still active.
One of the critical issues is damage to power infrastructure.
Pacific Gas & Electric spokesman Jeff Smith, stationed in Middletown this week with a host of crews, said the company did not yet have a dollar figure on damage to the power transmission system, although he added, “The financial impacts are large.”
Because the fire remains active, “We’ve been able to assess only about 60 percent of the area that’s been impacted,” he said.
Smith said that as of Wednesday, 7,200 PG&E customers remained without power as a result of the fire.
“We have well over 500 crews responding here in the area,” he said.
PG&E crews have reset more than 150 poles, identified 520 transmission poles that will need to be repaired and 700 trees that will need to be removed, Smith said.
He said some of the poles have completely disintegrated because of the heat of the fire.
Smith did not have an estimate of how much damaged power lines will need to be replaced.
“We’re continuing to work to assess as much as we can,” he said.
He added, “This is not so much a restoration as it is a reconstruction.”
As for when power might be restored to PG&E's south county customers, Smith said on Wednesday that, at that point, it was too early to say.
“We’re working very closely with Cal Fire on that,” he said.
Smith said PG&E has the safety of the public and employees as its priority, and making sure areas are safe before restoring power is key.
PG&E wants to make sure it has the necessary services in place before community members return home, Smith said.
He asked people to be mindful of the need to use extraordinary caution when they do return home, as they will be confronted with a host of potential hazards.
For one, trees that look healthy on top may no longer be safe because of having burned at the bottom of their trunks, he said.
Also working to make repairs through the fire area are crews with Caltrans District 1.
Caltrans staffers are working cooperatively with other agencies to help save the communities, keep the public safe and make repairs to infrastructure, according to District 1 spokeswoman Betsy Totten said
“The initial estimate for the cost of roadway repairs is $15 million,” Totten said.
She said Caltrans has begun the mop up process on Highway 29 and Highway 175. That work includes removing burning and damaged trees near the roadways, slope stabilization, drainage debris removal and replacement, and replacing burned pavement and hundreds of damaged signs.
A viaduct on Highway 175 that had burned timbers holding it up is being repaired, she said.
Caltrans staff is assisting with providing traffic control at points along the roadways through the fire area, Totten said.
In Hidden Valley Lake, officials with the homeowners association are conducting their own assessments in the gated community.
“We didn’t have any real damage to the association property,” said Hidden Valley Lake Association General Manager Cindy Spears.
However, residents still hadn't been able to return home as of Wednesday evening. Spears said the association is working with Cal Fire and PG&E to determine when it will be safe to let everyone come home, possibly by this weekend.
Regarding county facilities, county spokeswoman Mireya Turner said there is some minor damage to the roof of the Middletown Library and senior center.
“That was just from embers landing on the roof and damaging the rubber base,” she said.
With Wednesday's rain, she said there were concerns that there could be some additional damage to the roof.
Turner said the Callayomi County Water District also has sustained serious fire damage.
Public Works Assistant Director Lars Ewing said his department is looking at the condition of county-maintained bridges, roadways and other infrastructure.
“Right now we’re still in response/recovery mode,” Ewing said.
With the exception of three timber bridges, all of the bridges within the fire lines are either steel or concrete, which Ewing said means they're less likely to be damaged.
One of the timber bridges, on Harbin Springs Road, within the Harbin Hot Springs Resort, has completely collapsed, said Ewing. He said the bridge and the road are maintained by the county.
In the long term, there is a place for replacing the bridge, Ewing said. “Short term, we will provide a temporary crossing.”
There also are two timber bridges on Seigler Canyon Road. “We were concerned about those,” he said. “They have not been damaged.”
Ewing said there has been damage to guardrails, signs and culverts.
“There's going to be long-term drainage problems as a result of this,” he added.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
HIDDEN VALLEY LAKE, Calif. – Thousands of Hidden Valley Lake residents were forced from their homes by the Valley fire, and now officials are working to assess damage and ensure safety before allowing everyone to return home.
Hidden Valley Lake was evacuated on Saturday, within hours of the beginning of the Valley fire, which began on Cobb and then spread to Hidden Valley and Middletown.
By Wednesday night, the fire had burned more than 70,000 acres, making it one of the most damaging in the county's recorded history.
Since then, Hidden Valley Lake residents – which according to US Census Bureau estimates number more than 5,400 – have been in shelters, hotels, campgrounds, or staying with friends and families.
“At this point there’s no more fire in HVLA, but we’re just worried about flare ups,” said Association General Manager Cindy Spears.
Spears said they believe 70 homes in the gated community have been destroyed by the fire.
Most importantly, said Spears, “Up to this point, we know of no loss of life.”
She said the association doesn’t yet have a full tally of those residences that have survived but have structural damage.
Spears said the hardest-hit area of homes is located around the golf course's back nine holes.
She said Hidden Valley Lake Community Services District has turned the water back on to the community, and they're now working with Cal Fire and Pacific Gas and Electric to get power restored.
“We didn't have any real damage to the association property,” Spears said, adding that the Greenview Restaurant is still standing.
Spears said association staff and board members are mostly displaced and so have been working from hotel rooms. Some staffers, she said, have lost everything.
One of their considerations is using the community's campground as a location for temporary housing for residents whose homes were destroyed, she said.
Part of the issue with returning people home is making sure they have electricity.
Jeff Smith of PG&E told Lake County News on Wednesday that 7,200 customers across the south county are without power.
He said more than 500 crews are on the ground in the south county, making repairs to hundreds of poles and removing hundreds of damaged trees.
PG&E has “worked at lightning speed” to make repairs, Spears said.
Spears said the association is working on a plan to return people to their homes in the safest way possible. “We want to do it the right way.”
On Wednesday she did not have a definite date for when residents could return, but she estimated that it could be sometime this weekend.
“That's what we're hoping for,” Spears said.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – When the Rocky and Jerusalem fires hit Lake County, North Coast Opportunities (NCO) and Mendo Lake Credit Union (MLCU) created the Lake County Wildfire Relief Fund to help those impacted.
In a few short weeks they collaborated to raise funds, advertise the effort, write and translate applications to the fund, create a community-based managing committee to review application, and verify the losses of those who applied.
As of last week, the committee voted to disburse $24,000 in $3,000 increments, and all of those checks were mailed to fire victims.
With the significant impact of the Valley fire, those relief efforts have continued.
“With all of the processes to collect and distribute funds already in place, it was easy to hit the ground running,” says NCO Executive Assistant Elizabeth Archer. “We have already started receiving applications from Valley Fire victims, and our phones ring off the hook all day long.”
In the last three days donations from hundreds of individuals around the community and the country have poured in.
To date, the fund has raised nearly $100,000, and counting, in fire relief funds this summer.
Other than a small fee taken by PayPal, 100-percent of monies raised go directly to fire victims; NCO and MLCU donate all staff time and administrative fees.
“The human spirit is incredibly kind and generous, and it’s been humbling to watch the donations come in,” said Archer. “And, since NCO and MLCU are known and trusted entities, people are confident that donations will be used effectively.”
Cal Fire and many Lake County agencies continue to refer donors to the fund. The United Way set up a separate fund and then collaborated with NCO and MCLU in order to be more effective and not duplicate efforts, thus increasing the impact of the fund. NCO makes a good partner, as the dual-county agency is a familiar face, trusted, and invested in the community.
The intent of the Lake County Wildfire Relief Fund is to be a nimble operation and provide relief in real time to those who need it most.
NCO and MLCU also collaborate with other agencies, organizations and individuals working on fire relief to avoid duplication of efforts.
NCO is the community action agency for Lake and Mendocino counties, and part of its mission is to serve those in need during emergency situations.
“Our values as an organization and as concerned citizens compelled us to act,” said NCO Executive Director Patty Bruder. “As soon as people saw the impact of the Valley Fire, donations started coming in; the response has been incredible.”
The Lake County Wildfire Relief Fund was officially set up at MLCU by NCO as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.
NCO has extensive expertise working on the ground in the affected communities of Lake County. NCO is a major player in Lake County through such programs as the national Way to Wellville Challenge and the Lake County Fire Response committee, composed of major agencies and nonprofits in Lake County to react to the wildfires this season.
The organization also has set up and manages a fire relief volunteer database through its volunteer network, and works with the local as well as state Offices of Emergency Services.
MCLU is an active presence in Lake County and is committed to the communities it serves. One-third of its membership base is located in Lake County, and many members have lost everything. MLCU is all about people helping people, and its mission is to support the economic well-being of the communities it serves.
Anyone wishing to donate to the Lake County Wildfire Relief Fund can go in person to any MLCU branch, or send a check to MLCU made out to NCO with “Lake County fire relief” in the notes field.
There is also a PayPal account set up to accept online donations, which can be found on the front pages of both the NCO and MLCU Web sites.
For more information on how to donate and how to apply for funds, contact NCO Chief Financial Officer Carolyn Welch at
COBB, Calif. – Mendocino County Sheriff's deputies assisting local law enforcement with patrols arrested two Lake County men on a variety of charges after they attempted to flee when found in the evacuated fire area.
James Lee Dotson, 23, and Richard Dwayne Tillman, 27, both of Cobb, were arrested on Monday afternoon, according to a report from Mendocino County Sheriff's Capt. Greg Van Patten.
Van Patten said the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office has been providing mutual aid to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office to assist in emergency evacuations and to help prevent acts of looting from unoccupied structures that survived the Valley fire.
At approximately 4:17 p.m. Monday two Mendocino County Sheriff's deputies were flagged down and advised of a suspicious vehicle, a black Honda occupied by four subjects, Van Patten said.
The vehicle was reported to be in the area of the Hoberg's Resort and Spa on Emerford Road, which Van Patten said is one of the evacuated areas where buildings were untouched by the fire. This area is listed as a natural disaster area and closed to public access.
Van Patten said the Mendocino County Sheriff’s deputies responded to the area and located the reported vehicle driving away from the area.
The deputies activated their emergency lights in the attempt to get the vehicle stopped to determine why they were in the area, Van Patten said.
The vehicle did not stop and fled, leading the deputies on a short pursuit which ended on a dead end road located near Highway 175 and Forestry Road, according to Van Patten.
He said the subjects were ordered out of the vehicle and detained.
There were four people in the vehicle – three adults and one 14-year-old juvenile. Van Patten said two of the adults were identified as Dotson and Tillman.
At the conclusion of the contact, Dotson was arrested booked into the Lake County Jail for vehicular fleeing, child endangerment and possession of methamphetamine, Van Patten said.
Tillman, who Van Patten said is a former Ukiah resident, was arrested booked into the Lake County Jail on two outstanding no bail arrest warrants for probation violations out of Mendocino County.
The remaining adult and the 14-year-old juvenile were released at the scene, Van Patten said.
Lake County Jail booking records showed that Dotson's bail was set at $10,000, and that he remained in custody on Wednesday night.
Tillman was placed under a no-bail hold, and on Tuesday was transferred to the Mendocino County Jail, where he was being held without bail.