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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – As the Rocky fire slowly starts to die down, those affected can start to take stock of what has happened.
Thousands of evacuees will go home to assess the damages. Fortunately for most, they will have a home to return to; for those who don’t it’s the start of a long, painful, and expensive road back to normalcy.
Even for those without property damage, many evacuees spend their savings on hotels and eating out. For them, the process of rebuilding a safety net can take a long time.
In the wake of such a widespread disaster affecting so many Lake County residents, one question comes up over and over again: “How can I help?”
The generosity of the human spirit is never more apparent than during a time of crisis. In the spirit of providing an outlet for that generosity, North Coast Opportunities (NCO), Mendo Lake Credit Union (MLCU), and the Lake County Social Services Department have teamed up to create a fund for those affected by the Rocky fire.
MCLU is an active presence in Lake County and is committed to the communities it serves. MCLU will match the first $5,000 in donations, effectively doubling donors’ dollars.
“One-third of our membership base is located in Lake County, and our Clearlake office has already seen the need from members who have lost everything,” said MLCU CEO Richard Cooper. “MLCU is all about people helping people, and our mission is to support the economic well-being of the communities we serve.”
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. The fund was officially set up by NCO as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.
“Our values as an organization and as concerned citizens compelled us to act,” said NCO Executive Director Patty Bruder. “As soon as the fund was set up, word got out and donations started coming in. It’s heart-warming to see people rallying around those affected by the fire.”
The fund will be managed by a committee that is currently being formed. Although Lake County doesn’t have a “Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster” (VOAD) group, NCO is active in Mendocino County’s VOAD and will apply those policies to creating the committee.
It will include employees and/or board members of NCO, MLCU and the Lake County Social Services Department, plus an equal number of Lake County representatives from other organizations and the general community.
Those affected by the fire can apply for assistance, and the committee will determine how to distribute the funds once the fire has been fully contained and all impacts can be assessed.
More details will be available about how to apply for the fund on both NCO and MLCU’s Web sites and Facebook accounts.
MCLU Director of Marketing and Community Outreach Jamey Gill lives on Cobb Mountain, and has seen firsthand the effects of the fire on her fellow Lake County residents.
“Several of our own team members live in the fire zone, so this is very close to home for all of us,” explained Gill.
She will serve on the committee tasked with administering and disbursing the fund.
During a town hall meeting in Lakeport on Thursday, Sen. Mike McGuire and several Lake County officials gave updates on the Rocky fire, and MLCU was mentioned several times as a “safe place” to make monetary donations.
Unfortunately, while most people want to help, there are always a few to try to capitalize on the misfortune of others.
Lake County Sheriff Brian Martin encouraged people to donate only to reputable organizations, including the MLCU/NCO fund.
“It’s important to note that 100-percent of funds collected will go straight to those affected,” pointed out Bruder. “We will not use any of it to cover administrative costs.”
She also noted that all donations are tax-deductible.
Anyone wishing to donate to the Rocky fire relief fund can go in person to any MLCU branch, or send a check to MLCU with “Rocky fire” in the notes field.
There also is 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:
– NCO: https://www.ncoinc.org/ ; and
– MLCU: www.mlcu.org .
For more information on how to donate, how to apply for funds, or how to apply to serve on the management committee, contact NCO Executive Assistant Elizabeth Archer at
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Smoke and haze in Lake County's skies in recent days are a product not just of a massive wildland fire burning in the county but a number of incidents farther north, according to officials.
In addition to the Rocky fire, which at 69,636 acres remains the state's largest wildland fire currently burning, the Lake County Air Quality Management District attributed much of the new smoke coming into the air basin over the last few days to several major fires burning farther north in California.
Cal Fire reported on Saturday that there were 17 active wildfires continue to burn in California.
However, the air quality management district pinpointed only a portion of the total number burning as having an impact locally.
Those include the lightning caused Humboldt Complex in Humboldt County. The group of 75 fires, which began July 30, had burned 4,608 acres and was 40-percent contained on Saturday night, according to Cal Fire.
There also are several lightning-caused complexes in Del Norte County that are sources of the smoke, the district said.
On July 30, lightning sparked the four fires in the River Complex, which has burned 13,827 acres and is 10-percent contained, as well as another four fires that make up the Route Complex, which has burned 16,798 acres and is 15-percent contained, according to the US Forest Service.
The Gasquet Complex, a group of nine lightning fires that began July 31, burned 1,702 acres with 5-percent containment as of Saturday, Cal Fire said.
There also is the Mad River Complex, which began Aug. 1. It's a group of three fires that has burned 17,852 acres, with 35-percent containment, the US Forest Service reported.
All of those incidents are contributing significant smoke to the air, which is blowing south and out over the ocean, according to the Lake County Air Quality Management District.
Cal Fire said that the threat of thunderstorms has passed, which is helping firefighters working on the incidents around the state while also relieving concerns about new blazes that lightning could set off.
However, the Lake County Air Quality Management District said westerly winds in the forecast – as high as 13 miles per hour in parts of the county on Monday – could continue to push significant amounts of smoke from the lightning complexes into Lake County's skies.
The air quality management district urged people to be prepared for changing conditions, as an increase in smoke could result in air quality in parts of the county dropping into the “unhealthy” range.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Lake County will open a local assistance center this week.
The LakeLAC, located at 14092 Lakeshore Drive in Clearlake, will open at 8 a.m. Monday.
Officials said the LakeLAC is intended to assist residents and business owners with access to recovery information and to connect with available resources.
The county also has launched a virtual Local Assistance Center at www.lakecountyLAC.com .
Services to be provided at the LakeLAC include financial assistance, social services, health services and other community resource programs.
Confirmed participants include:
– Assessor/Recorder;
– Community Development;
– Health Services;
– Housing Commission;
– North Coast Opportunities;
– Public Services;
– Salvation Army;
– Social Services;
– Special Districts;
– Tzu Chi;
– United Christian Parish;
– Veteran’s Services.
The LakeLAC will be open Monday, Aug. 10, through Wednesday, Aug. 12, from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Additional hours will be evaluated based on need.
Residents or business owners with questions are invited to visit the LakeLAC in person, view information at www.lakecountyLAC.com or call the Lake County Public Assistance Hotline at 1-800-325-9604.
LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lake County Library invites the public to get to know Lake County’s Anderson Marsh State Historic Park and the Anderson Marsh Interpretive Association in the Aug. 15 installment of Know Lake County, a free lecture series.
The diverse programs take place on the third Saturday of each month from February through December at 2 p.m. at Lakeport Library, 1425 N. High St.
Gae Henry and Henry Bornstein will present this month’s program, which will feature “A Walk Through Time,” a short documentary about Anderson Marsh.
In this recently-released film Koi nation members and local archaeologists and historians tell the history of the Anderson Marsh area where humans have lived for about 14,000 years.
The Know Lake County program will also include a slideshow “What’s up with Anderson Marsh State Historic Park?” and other displays.
Anderson Marsh State Historic Park includes some of California’s richest ancient archaeological sites, the Anderson family’s 19th century ranch house, a nature preserve, and hiking and boating trails.
The park is located in Lower Lake at the junction of Highway 53 and Anderson Ranch Parkway.
Budget cuts in 2011 nearly caused the Anderson Marsh park to close but a partnership agreement between AMIA and the California State Department of Parks keeps the park open through at least June 30, 2016.
For more information about AMIA, visit www.andersonmarsh.org . The Web site for Anderson Marsh State Historic Park is www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=483 .
Gae Henry and her husband Henry Bornstein have been involved with Anderson Marsh since 2007.
Henry’s eagerness to see inside the Anderson ranch house across Cache Creek from her home incited what she calls a “personal passion” for the park.
Henry is a retired middle school teacher of math, science and music and Bornstein is a retired lawyer and musician.
They both serve as park docents and are on the AMIA board of directors. They train other docents and have been involved with the Old Time Bluegrass fundraiser, nature walks and field trips at the park.
Know Lake County delves into many facets of Lake County, including human history, natural history, outdoor recreation, science, performing arts and programs for children.
The family-friendly programs are designed to inform and entertain Lake County residents about Lake County.
Some programs will cover interesting lore about the county and others will cover the work that community organizations perform.
Future Know Lake County programs will feature archaeologist Dr. John Parker on Lake County’s prehistory, retired park ranger Tom Nixon representing Konocti Regional Trails, Mike Adams from the Soper Reese Theatre and Carolyn Jarrett from the Children’s Museum of Art and Science.
Know Lake County’s full 2015 schedule is posted on the Know Lake County Web site http://co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Lake_County_CA__Library/KLC.htm .
For more information about Know Lake County and other library programs call 707-263-8817.
The Lake County Library is on the Internet at http://library.lakecountyca.gov and on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/LakeCountyLibrary .
Library events are also posted at http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Lake_County_CA__Library/Calendar.htm .
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – With the last of the community members under Rocky fire mandatory evacuation orders now cleared to head home, local health officials are urging caution when reentering the fire area and beginning cleanup.
On Saturday, in cooperation with Cal Fire, Lake County Sheriff Brian Martin authorized reentry into the former mandatory evacuations areas of Morgan Valley Road and the Double Eagle subdivision, as Lake County News has reported.
Authorities previously had allowed other residents in Lower Lake and in Spring Valley to return home.
The Lake County Public Health Department advises residents of those previously evacuated areas that sifting through ash and burned material could be a serious health risk.
Hazards may include asbestos, heavy metals, byproducts of burnt plastic items and other hazardous chemicals. Some hazards may not be visible.
Public Health recommends that no one remove debris without help.
Various agencies will be involved in the Rocky fire recovery effort and may be able to assist with property clean up.
Please call the Rocky fire help line at 1-800-325-9604 for more information and to request help.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The steady, hard work of firefighters on the Rocky fire yielded more good news on the fire lines on Saturday, with efforts pushing the incident still closer to the full containment that's anticipated early next week.
On Saturday evening, Cal Fire reported that the Rocky fire was holding steady at 69,636 acres, with containment up to 70 percent.
The fire began east of Lower Lake on July 29. Cal Fire expects to have it fully contained on Aug. 13.
Cal Fire said the cause remains under investigation.
In its 10-day run, the fire has threatened more than 6,500 homes and caused thousands of residents to be under mandatory or advisory evacuation orders, burned into the neighboring counties of Colusa and Yolo, closed Highway 20 and Highway 16 for several days, and destroyed close to 100 structures.
Cal Fire's count of damages remains at 43 homes and 53 outbuildings destroyed, with eight other structures damaged.
The increasing containment and improving conditions led authorities on Saturday morning to lift the remaining mandatory evacuation orders for the Double Eagle Ranch subdivision east of Clearlake Oaks and some areas near Lower Lake, including Rocky Creek Road, for which the fire is named.
With all evacuations now lifted, the Lake County Office of Emergency Services said the Red Cross evacuation shelter at Middletown High School will close at 5 p.m. Sunday. The Red Cross shelter at Kelseyville High School closed at noon on Saturday.
Anyone needing assistance due to Rocky fire impacts is urged to call an around-the-clock hotline set up at 800-325-9604.
While they're closing in on full containment, firefighters are still encountering challenges, from difficult-to-access terrain to deep-seated pockets of heat that have produced several small flare ups within the interior during peak fire conditions, Cal Fire said.
Cal Fire said cooler temperatures overnight and better relative humidity have reduced the fire activity threat along the fire's perimeter.
Cal Fire spokesman Jay Smith told Lake County News on Saturday evening that, overall, the fire's activity has pretty much died down at this point, with firefighters working on hot spots and heat pockets.
“We're in the mop up phase right now,” he said.
Smith said firefighters are concentrating on making sure no flare ups or embers move from the black, burned areas to the green, unburned fuels.
Early Saturday morning, Rocky fire radio traffic indicated there were hunters in the area, with Saturday being the opening day of deer hunting season in the county.
However, Smith said he had received no reports of hunters causing any issues for firefighters.
With numerous fires burning around California, the resources on the Rocky fire have continued to be scaled back as full containment nears.
The still-massive force – based at an incident command center at the Lake County Fairgrounds in Lakeport – on Saturday night included 2,420 personnel, 142 engines, 84 hand crews, 23 water tenders and 13 dozers, Cal Fire said.
Radio reports indicated that some air resources were being diverted from the Rocky fire on Saturday evening for a fire in Mendocino County.
A large amount of smoke continues to pour into the Lake County air basin, which according to a Lake County Air Quality Management District report is largely due to a number of wildland fires to the north.
The district said the winds are blowing the smoke south toward Lake County and out over the ocean.
Because of a forecast for westerly winds, Lake County could experience significant amounts of smoke from those northern fires in the days ahead, the district reported.
Email Elizabeth Larson at