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NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – Four firefighters who were injured fighting the Valley fire on Saturday are on the mend, according to Cal Fire.
Fire Captain Pat Ward, Firefighter Niko Matteoli, Firefighter Richard Reiff and Firefighter Logan Pridmore – who are members of Cal Fire's Copter 104 crew – were injured during the initial attack on the Valley Fire on Saturday afternoon, Cal Fire said.
The four men were transported to the UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento, where Cal Fire said they are receiving excellent care from the medical staff and deeply appreciated support from the Firefighters Burn Institute.
Although expected to recover over time, their injuries are serious and the firefighters have a long and difficult road to recovery ahead of them, Cal Fire said.
Cal Fire, along with Cal Fire Local 2881, will continue to provide for their needs and the needs of their families.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – After careful consideration, the Lake County Wine Alliance has decided to cancel this year's Wine Auction, which had been set for Saturday, Sept. 19, at Cache Creek Winery.
“Considering the gravity of the situation that we face in our community it seems only appropriate that we re-direct our efforts towards those who are suffering from this year's devastating fires,” said Alliance President Kaj Ahlmann.
In the coming days, the Wine Alliance Board will determine how best to proceed. Ideas under consideration include alternative events at an appropriate time and an online auction to insure that they will be able to provide an meaningful level of support to this year's beneficiaries and additional support to those who have suffered because of this year's fires.
Those who wish to help in this effort are encouraged to donate through the Wine Alliance Web site, www.winealliance.org .
“With a 15-year history of raising money and distributing it to the community, the Lake County Wine Alliance is uniquely qualified to manage an aggressive fundraising effort of the kind we foresee,” said Alliance Board Marketing Director Bill Groody. “We know how to get money to the places where it will do the most good and that's what we intend to do.”
In addition to community-based fundraising, the Wine Alliance has been contacted by wineries, vineyard operators and others from outside the community who wish to use the alliance's structure to manage their donations.
To administer these funds, the Wine Alliance has established a strategic partnership with the Lake County Winegrape Commission and the Lake County Winery Association.
This project will support organizations with a proven track record of providing community assistance and may also provide support directly to individuals through it's own programs.
The Wine Alliance board is deeply grateful to this year's 17 corporate sponsors who are continuing their support to us and to the community through these difficult times.
This year's sponsors include Calpine, Sutter Lakeside Hospital, Beckstoffer Vineyards, Six Sigma Winery, St. Helena Hospital, Sysco Foods, artist John Clarke, Mendo-Lake Credit Union, Umpqua Bank, Cache Creek Winery, Boatique Winery, Kelseyville Pharmacy, Shannon Ridge Vineyards and Winery, C-Line Express Trucking, Savings Bank of Mendocino County and PG&E.
The Lake County Wine Alliance, is a 501c nonprofit dedicated to supporting the arts, health and community.
The Wine Alliance is administered by a board of directors whose members are Kaj Ahlmann, Lower Lake, president; Judy Luchsinger, Lakeport,vice president; Sharron Zoller, Kelseyville, secretary; Rob Roumiguiere, Kelseyville, treasurer; and Marie Beery, Kelseyville, and Bill Groody, Kelseyville, directors.
This story has been updated.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Authorities on Tuesday night reopened a portion of Highway 29 closed due to the Valley fire.
Lt. Steve Brooks said that Highway 29 was reopened to all traffic between Kelseyville and the intersection of Highway 53 in Lower Lake.
Highway 29 south of Highway 53 remains closed to all non-emergency traffic, Brooks said.
Due to continuing fire activity in the area, access to the feeder roads along the south side of Highway 29 between Kelseyville and Highway 53 will not be allowed for residents. Brooks said access will be restricted to employees of businesses providing infrastructure and agriculture services.
He said the restricted roads include:
– Highway 175;
– Bottle Rock Road;
– Seigler Canyon Road;
– Diener Drive;
– Red Hills Road.
Access to the restricted roads will be provided to residents and employees of businesses who can provide evidence of residency or employment in the restricted areas, Brooks said.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office reminds drivers to be cautious as there are still recovery and fire suppression crews using the roads.
Rain is expected, which will lead to slippery road conditions. Motorists are requested to reduce their speeds and be aware of their surroundings.
Residents are requested to report any suspicious activity to the Lake County Sheriff’s Dispatch Center at 707-263-2690.
The public is asked not to call the Lake County Sheriff’s Central Dispatch for information regarding escorts into the evacuated areas.
The sheriff's office thanked the public for its patience and cooperation during this disaster.
Lakeport, Calif -- The Lake County office of education has provided updated school closure information. Due to changing fire conditions some schools will remain closed this week while others will reopen Wednesday.
Lakeport Unified, Upper Lake Union High, Upper Lake Union Elementary, and Lucerne Elementary School Districts will be returning to school on Wednesday, September 16.
Schools remaining closed this week include the Kelseyville Unified and Konocti Unified School Districts which will reopen Monday September 21.
According to LCEO, every effort is being made to open Middletown schools on Monday, September 21st as well. LCOE cautions that the situation for Middletown schools is still unpredictable and subject to change.
The Lake County Office of Education will provide updates when there is a finalized date of return for Middletown schools.
LCOE extends gratitude to firefighters, emergency personnel and all first responders.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – While there was several thousand more acres' worth of growth overnight on the Valley fire, the level of fire in some areas near Kelseyville that had been evacuated led officials to allow residents there to go home.
Cal Fire said that as of Tuesday morning the Valley Fire had reached 67,000 acres, with containment moving up to 15 percent.
The agency's damage assessment on the fire, which started on Saturday afternoon on High Valley Road in the Cobb area, remained at 585 burned homes with many more structures of other kinds burned.
There have been no new injuries – four firefighters on Cal Fire's Copter 104 were injured during the initial attack and are recovering – according to Cal Fire.
Officials also had confirmed on Monday that an elderly woman in the Cobb area who had been unable to evacuate had died.
Late on Tuesday morning, the Lake County Sheriff's Office began allowing residents of the Clear Lake Riviera, Riviera West and Riviera Heights to return to their homes, lifting the mandatory evacuation that had been instituted on Sunday morning.
The agency said the threat of fire in the area had been reduced, so residents could go home.
Highway 29 at the intersection with Highway 281 – Kit's Corner – to the junction with Highway 53 in Lower Lake was reopened at noon for residents only, with authorities requiring proof of residency in that area before people could pass.
As the repopulation of the Rivieras was taking place a small fire was reported on Fairway Drive, but it was contained at around 2 p.m.
Officials indicated that the repopulation was continuing throughout the afternoon.
Cal Fire said approximately 2,362 firefighters are assigned to the fire, along with 258 engines, 67 water tenders, 54 hand crews, 31 dozers, eight helicopters and three air tankers.
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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – After ripping through tens of thousands of acres in just two days, the Valley fire's growth appeared to slow on Monday as firefighters kept up their efforts to control it.
During the course of the day the fire's size estimate rose by 12,000 acres, with 10-percent containment, according to Cal Fire.
While that was still a significant acreage growth, it was well below the rate the fire was burning in its first 48 hours.
It broke out on Saturday afternoon on High Valley Road in Cobb, quickly spreading down into Middletown and Hidden Valley Lake, as Lake County News has reported.
Cal Fire said the nearly 1,800 firefighters assigned to the incident were assisted by favorable weather conditions on Monday.
Temperatures were lower, humidity was higher and clearer skies allowed firefighting aircraft to take to the skies once more, Cal Fire said.
Radio traffic on Sunday had indicated the smoke was so thick that Cal Fire air attack couldn't see over some areas of the fire.
More crews and equipment continue to join the firefighting effort, with resources late Monday totaling 183 engines, 65 water tenders, 43 hand crews, 28 dozers, seven helicopters and three air tankers.
Cal Fire said damage assessment teams are continuing to collect information as they are able to access additional areas of the fire.
The Lake County Office of Emergency Services said its assessment teams began heading out into the field on Monday, with the process of tallying the damage likely to take as long a five days.
On Monday, the number of destroyed homes counted so far rose to 585, with hundreds of other structures also reported destroyed, Cal Fire said.
With 9,000 structures still threatened, officials kept in place evacuations affecting thousands of residents in areas including Aetna Springs, Clear Lake Riviera, Cobb, Hidden Valley Lake, Loch Lomond, Middletown, Seigler Canyon, Twin Lakes, Bottle Rock Road, High Valley Road, Highway 175/Cobb, Point Lakeview Road to Highway 281, Highway 29/Highway 53 in Lower Lake to Highway 29 at Tubbs Lane in Calistoga in Napa County, Butts Canyon Road to the Napa County line and Butts Canyon Road to Pope Valley, according to Cal Fire.
Evacuees are being offered shelter and services at a variety of facilities around the county. For a full list see www.bit.ly/1USkILV .
While evacuees have been asking to return home as soon as possible, Sheriff Brian Martin said Monday evening that after a meeting with Cal Fire, it was decided to keep the mandatory evacuations in place for the time being.
He said the fire at that point was continuing to spread along Seigler Canyon Road toward Highway 29.
“The concern is that it may cross Highway 29. If this happens, the Clear Lake Rivieras will be seriously threatened,” he said.
Martin added, “We understand that this is horribly inconvenient, and we are working to restore normalcy as soon as safely possible. Please bear with us during this horrible disaster.”
On Tuesday the sheriff's office is offering to escort evacuees on quick trips to their homes for the purpose of caring for pets and livestock. Additional details are here: www.bit.ly/1Mor2LG .
Authorities also are continuing to enforce closures on roadways through the fire area – including Highway 29 and Highway 175, Point Lakeview to Soda Bay on Highway 281, all of Bottle Rock Road, High Valley Road and Butts Canyon Road from Highway 29 to the Napa County line.
Cal Fire said the fire's cause remains under investigation.
The fire conditions and the impact on community members led officials to announce another countywide school closure on Tuesday, with Lakeport, Upper Lake and Lucerne schools to reopen on Wednesday.
Middletown Unified School District, Konocti Unified School District and Kelseyville Unified School District will remained closed for the rest of the week, with officials adding that it's unknown when Middletown schools may reopen.
Email Elizabeth Larson at