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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Fire officials have pushed back the estimated date for full containment of the Jerusalem fire, according to a Friday report.
Containment on the fire, which has burned 25,118 acres, edged up to 98 percent by Friday evening, according to Cal Fire.
Cal Fire said Friday that it now anticipates having the fire 100-percent contained by Monday, Aug. 24.
The fire began Aug. 9 northeast of Middletown. Cal Fire said it destroyed six residences and 21 outbuildings.
Lake County Fair officials reported that on Friday the last of the Cal Fire personnel left the fairgrounds, where incident command for both the Rocky and Jerusalem fires had been located.
Resources on the fire have been significantly reduced over the past week.
Cal Fire said total resources assigned on Friday included 382 personnel, 13 engines, 12 dozers, nine water tenders, seven fire crews and one helicopter.
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Mars turned cold and dry long ago, but researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder have discovered evidence of an ancient lake that likely represents some of the last potentially habitable surface water ever to exist on the Red Planet.
The study, published in the journal Geology, examined an 18-square-mile chloride salt deposit (roughly the size of the city of Boulder) in the planet's Meridiani region near the Mars Opportunity rover's landing site.
As seen on Earth in locations such as Utah's Bonneville Salt Flats, large-scale salt deposits are considered to be evidence of evaporated bodies of water.
Digital terrain mapping and mineralogical analysis of the features surrounding the deposit indicate that this one-time lakebed is no older than 3.6 billion years old, well after the time period when Mars is thought to have been warm enough to sustain large amounts of surface water planet-wide.
Planetary scientists believe that the solar system formed approximately 4.6 billion years ago.
“This was a long-lived lake, and we were able to put a very good time boundary on its maximum age,” said Brian Hynek, a research associate at the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) at CU-Boulder and lead author of the study. “We can be pretty certain that this is one of the last instances of a sizeable lake on Mars.”
Based on the extent and thickness of the salt, the researchers estimate that the lake was only about 8 percent as salty as the Earth's oceans and therefore may have been hospitable to microbial life.
“By salinity alone, it certainly seems as though this lake would have been habitable throughout much of its existence,” said Hynek, who is also an associate professor in the Department of Geological Sciences at CU-Boulder and director of the CU Center for Astrobiology. He noted, however, that other factors such as acidity levels were not included in the scope of the study.
Mikki Osterloo and Kathryn Kierein-Young, both research associates at the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) at CU-Boulder, co-authored the study.
The University of Alaska Geophysical Institute's Remote Sensing Laboratory and the University of Arizona's High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) team provided assistance with digital terrain mapping and data processing.
The NASA-Mars Data Analysis Program provided funding for the research.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The lawsuit filed against a county supervisor in his capacity as a bail bondsmen over a property foreclosure and a physical confrontation has been dismissed.
The case, filed by Robert and Jan Sanders of Clearlake against Rob Brown of Kelseyville, his wife Kim and their bail bonds company, was dismissed by Judge Andrew Blum in Lake County Superior Court on Wednesday.
Attempts to reach attorney Susan Feeney, who represented the Sanderses in the case, were unsuccessful.
Calls to Feeney's offices in Lakeport and Half Moon Bay yielded no results, as those numbers apparently have been disconnected, and she did not respond to an email sent to the account included in her State Bar listing.
Attorney Steven Brown – son of Rob and Kim Brown – represented them in the matter, and called the case dismissal a vindication.
In January 2009, the Sanderses used the Browns' bail bonds company to bail their son Christopher Sanders out of jail after he was arrested for molesting his stepdaughter.
Given the large amount of the bail, a deed of trust against the Sanderses’ residential real property was used to secure the debt.
While Christopher Sanders’ criminal case lasted several years, in May 2011 he was convicted by a jury of five felonies – a count of committing a lewd act with a child, two counts of lewd act with a child by duress, and one count each of continuous sexual abuse of a child and statutory rape.
The following January, he was sentenced to 41 years in state prison, as Lake County News has reported: www.bit.ly/1U5AbHV . In August 2013, an appellate court upheld the sentence: www.bit.ly/13BX7dE .
Steven Brown said Rob and Kim Brown spent several years attempting to collect the debt for the bail premium owed by the Sanderses, but they refused to pay.
As a result, given the large amount owing, the real property secured by the deed of trust was foreclosed on and the Browns subsequently became the owners of the property, Steven Brown said.
Steven Brown said that in August 2012, Rob and Kim Brown went to the residence on Buckeye Street in Clearlake to serve a notice of inspection on the Sanderses, who were refusing to vacate the property.
During Rob Brown’s attempted service, he was physically assaulted by Robert Sanders, who he punched one time in self defense.
The case was investigated by the Clearlake Police Department, www.bit.ly/Sr6Ig5 .
In October 2012 District Attorney Don Anderson concluded there was insufficient evidence to prosecute Brown for assault.
Anderson also said at that time that Robert Sanders had refused to cooperate with police, including not providing video evidence he claimed to have and refusing to sign a medical release in order for his claims about his injuries to be investigated: www.bit.ly/SWMmfg .
When the Sanderses continued to refuse to vacate the property, the Browns filed an unlawful detainer action to obtain physical possession of the property. When the court granted the Browns possession of the property, they identified the property had significant interior damage, Steve Brown said.
In June of 2014, the Sanderses filed a lawsuit against Rob and Kim Brown and their bail bonds company, asserting 14 causes of action including assault, battery, elder abuse, intentional infliction of emotional distress, fraud, breach of contract, animal cruelty and various causes of action related to ownership of the real property as they contended that the foreclosure was illegal.
Steven Brown said he filed several motions which resulted in 12 of the 14 causes being dismissed due to lack of any facts to support the causes of action.
He said a trial was set on the remaining two causes of action for battery and assault as a result of Rob Brown having punched Robert Sanders.
After many delays, Steven Brown said the matter came to trial on Wednesday. At that point, facing the prospect of having to present evidence that he had been assaulted and battered, Robert Sanders and his wife requested the court dismiss the remaining causes of action of assault and battery.
Steven Brown said he told the court he was prepared for the trial and wished for it to proceed, but Judge Blum ultimately dismissed the causes of action asserting the Sanderses right to dismiss.
While advocates for the Sanderses have made numerous public comments contending Rob Brown took advantage of the couple, Steven Brown said Rob and Kim Brown have not provided public comment out of respect for the process.
Steven Brown said his clients are pleased with the outcome and are grateful to finally be cleared of all of the false allegations.
During the proceedings, sanctions were issued against Feeney for a total of $1,350 for failure to comply with a court order to provide information in the suit and for not showing up to a scheduled court appearance.
Because the sanctions total more than $1,000, Feeney must report them to the State Bar or face discipline from the organization.
Steven Brown also is filing an order seeking that the Sanders pay $2,900 in costs.
Feeney has filed a motion for reconsideration of the sanctions against her, claiming that her clients lied about having paid her, and that they have made false allegations that the problems with the case that led to the subsequent sanctions and dismissal were her fault.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Fire officials reported on Thursday evening that they are closer to fully containing the Jerusalem fire.
The fire as of Thursday night was at 97-percent containment, with the size holding at 25,118 acres, according to Cal Fire.
The Jerusalem fire began on Aug. 9 in the Jerusalem Valley area, northeast of Middletown, 11 days after the Rocky fire, which was 100-percent contained last Friday.
A total of six residences and 21 outbuildings were burned in the Jerusalem fire, officials reported.
Cal Fire has estimated the Jerusalem fire would reach full containment on Friday.
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NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – California Department of Fish and Wildlife officials said Thursday that the agency has photographic evidence of five gray wolf pups and two adults in Siskiyou County.
After trail cameras recorded a lone canid in May and July in Siskiyou County, CDFW deployed additional cameras, one of which took multiple photos showing five pups, which appear to be a few months old, and others showing individual adults.
Because of the proximity to the original camera location, it is likely the adult previously photographed in May and July is associated with the group of pups, officials said.
"This news is exciting for California," said CDFW Director Charlton H. Bonham. "We knew wolves would eventually return home to the state and it appears now is the time."
CDFW has designated this group – comprised of two adults and five pups – the Shasta Pack.
As for where the wolves originated, “We think that they are part of an Oregon pack, only because that seems most likely, but we will not know for certain until analysis is done on their scats. We are collecting scats for further monitoring,” CDFW spokesperson Jordan Traverso told Lake County News.
Wild wolves historically inhabited California, but were extirpated, wildlife officials said.
Aside from these wolves and the famous wolf OR7 who entered California in December 2011, the last confirmed wolf in the state was here in 1924.
OR7 has not been in California for more than a year and is currently the breeding male of the Rogue Pack in southern Oregon.
In June 2014, the California Fish and Game Commission voted to list gray wolves as endangered under the California Endangered Species Act.
The gray wolf is also listed as endangered in California, under the Federal Endangered Species Act of 1973.
Gray wolves that enter California are therefore protected by the ESA making it illegal to harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture or collect wolves, or to attempt to engage in any such conduct in California.
CDFW is completing a Draft Wolf Management Plan and will release it soon.
Throughout the plan's development, CDFW has held numerous meetings with stakeholders. Currently, CDFW is incorporating comments from a stakeholder advisory group, and considering revisions due to implications of this news, before releasing the draft plan to the general public.
Public meetings will be scheduled to receive public comment on the draft plan.
In addition to the trail cameras, CDFW relies on help from the public to glean information about wolves in California.
The public can report wolf sightings on CDFW gray wolf Web site at www.wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Mammals/Gray-Wolf/Sighting-Report .
Though wolves rarely pose a direct threat to human safety, CDFW recommends that people never approach, feed or otherwise disturb a wolf.
For more information about staying safe in wolf-occupied areas, including what people should do if they encounter a wolf, please visit www.wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Mammals/Gray-Wolf/FAQ .
LUCERNE, Calif. – A fire that began in a minivan led to a Wednesday afternoon wildfire that burned two travel trailers and two other vehicles in the hills above Lucerne.
Northshore Fire, Cal Fire and US Forest Service firefighters from the Mendocino National Forest responded to the blaze, which was dispatched just after 2:15 p.m. at the top of Bartlett Springs Road.
Cal Fire's Copter 104 from Boggs Mountain arrived on scene first, followed by Northshore Fire Chief Jay Beristianos.
Air resources worked the fire as ground resources arrived, according to the reports from the scene.
Beristianos said the incident began when a white minivan near two travel trailers caught fire. The fire quickly extended into the oak and pine litter on the ground before moving into the fuel supply for generators being used for the travel trailers.
The fire then burned the travel trailers, one of which was being lived in, with the second being used for storage, Beristianos said.
Altogether, the two travel trailers, two pickups, the minivan and about an acre of ground was burned, according to Beristianos.
“We're very fortunate it was on the top of the hill,” Beristianos said, explaining that fires at the base of hills tend to run upslope.
He said the main fire sent out spot fires but they were going down the hill and not doing much, so firefighters were able to knock them down quickly.
The fire scorched several large pine trees from top to bottom, and also burned into a very large oak tree.
With the fire still burning inside the badly damaged oak, it was decided that the tree needed to be taken down.
That task fell to Cal Fire dozer operator Mike Walton, who knocked the flaming tree down quickly and safely.
Beristianos said the resources that responded to the incident included two engines, two command officers and a water tender from Northshore Fire; three engines and two chiefs from the Mendocino National Forest; and two helicopters, three air tankers, an air attack plane, a dozers, four engines and two chiefs from Cal Fire.
Units remained on scene past 8 p.m. Wednesday, radio reports indicated.
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