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LOWER LAKE, Calif. – A wildland fire that began near Lower Lake Wednesday afternoon ballooned in size within hours, resulting in evacuations.
The Rock fire was first dispatched at around 3:30 p.m. Wednesday in the area of Morgan Valley and Rocky Creek roads east of Lower Lake.
By 7:15 p.m., it had reached 1,000 acres, according to Cal Fire.
Resources from the Wragg fire in Napa and Solano counties have been diverted to assist on the incident, where early on Wednesday evening six air tankers and five helicopters continued to hit it from the sky, with a large force of ground resources also on scene.
Evacuations remain in effect until further notice for all residents of Morgan Valley Road between the Napa County Line and the intersection of Highway 29 and Highway 53 in Lower Lake, according to the Lake County Office of Emergency Services.
The Red Cross has an evacuation center in place at the Highlands Senior Center in Clearlake, 3245 Bowers Ave., authorities said.
Cal Fire's latest report said the fire continues to travel at a rapid rate of spread with forward spotting.
Part of the incident includes a large spot fire that was reported on Morgan Valley Road about an hour after the first fire was reported.
Temperatures at the scene have reached 100 degrees, with 10 percent humidity and wind coming from the south at 11 miles per hour, officials said.
Agencies on scene include Cal Fire, Lake County Fire, Kelseyville Fire, South Lake Fire and Northshore Fire.
Total resources committed as of 7:30 p.m. included 171 firefighters, 12 fire engines, six fire crews, six air tankers, five helicopters, five dozers and four water tenders.
Additional details will be posted as they become available throughout the night.
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LOWER LAKE, Calif. – Effective immediately and until further notice, the Lake County Sherriff’s office has requested that all residents of Morgan Valley Road between the Napa County Line and the intersection of Highway 29 and Highway 53 in Lower Lake evacuate immediately, due to the Rock Fire.
An evacuation center has been set up at the Highlands Senior Center in Clearlake, 3245 Bowers Ave., Clearlake.
Animals are being evacuated to the parking lot of the Department of Social Services off of Highway 53 at 15975 Anderson Ranch Parkway, Lower Lake.
The Lake County Emergency Operation Center has not been activated. Lake County OES Manager Marisa Chilafoe is actively monitoring the situation and additional operations are on standby.
The Lake County Office of Emergency Services has an information line set up at 707-263-2360, and will be posting information on the Lake County OES Facebook page.
LOWER LAKE, Calif. – Firefighters are at the scene of two wildland fires burning east of Lower Lake that have resulted in evacuations of the Morgan Valley Road area.
The Rock fire was first dispatched as a structure just before 3:30 p.m. Wednesday in the area of the 9000 block of Rocky Creek Road.
Cal Fire's most recent report on the Rock incident, released just before 5:15 p.m., put it at 150 acres with no containment.
Immediate evacuations are under way with structures threatened, Cal Fire said.
The Lake County Sheriff's Office asked that all residents of Morgan Valley Road east of Lower Lake evacuate immediately as a result of the fires. Lake County Animal Care and Control assisting.
An evacuation center has been set up at the Highlands Senior Center, 3245 Bowers Ave. in Clearlake, according to the Lake County Office of Emergency Services.
Fire officials said the Rock fire is traveling at a rapid rate of spread with forward spotting in heavy brush and timber.
Cal Fire diverted resources from the Wragg fire in Napa and Solano counties, based on radio reports.
Access has been difficult during the initial attack. Dozers are being used not just to cut fire line but also to cut a road in to the incident, according to radio reports.
Shortly after 4:30 p.m., a spot fire was reported in the 20000 block of Morgan Valley Road.
Minutes later, there were reports of about 10 people trapped and unable to get down their driveway in the 19000 block of Morgan Valley Road, with resources diverted to that area.
Residents are asked to stay away from the area, so emergency personnel can concentrate on fighting the fire and evacuating residents.
Cal Fire said roads are closed in the Rocky Creek and Morgan Valley areas.
Resources on scene include 12 engine companies, six air tankers, five bulldozers, five helicopters, six overhead personnel, four water tenders and a total of 171 personnel.
The fire's cause is under investigation.
Additional details will be reported as they become available.
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LAKEPORT, Calif. – A Clearlake man has been convicted of three felony charges in connection to his torturing of a German Shepherd puppy – including punching it while he hung it from a tree.
Emilio Vega Mendoza, 44, was found guilty of intentionally and maliciously torturing Remy – who was not quite a year old at the time of the April incident – along with making criminal threats to a witness and attempting to make threats to a Clearlake Police officer, according to Deputy District Attorney Susan Krones.
Mendoza was found not guilty of a fourth charge of making threats to deter the officer from performing his duties, Krones said.
Krones said Vega Mendoza waived a jury trial and instead had a bench trial before Judge Michael Lunas on July 23, with the verdict coming down on Tuesday.
Vega Mendoza's defense attorney, Mark Cabaniss of Lakeport, did not respond to requests from Lake County News for comment on the case.
Clearlake Police Officer Michael Dietrick arrested Vega Mendoza on the morning of April 26 at a residence on Saroni Parkway after getting reports of him torturing the dog, and threatening a woman and her child, according to the case records.
The dog was being punched like a punching bag while being hung from a tree, said Clearlake Police Lt. Tim Celli.
Krones said Vega Mendoza was living in a shed on the property where the beating took place. On the morning of the incident, a woman who lived in the house on the property came out to find him hanging Remy from a rope that was thrown over a tree branch, hitting the pup, lowering him, and then repeating the same abusive treatment numerous times.
Witnesses said Vega Mendoza was drunk, and when the woman confronted him and told him to stop harming the dog, he told her to mind her own business. She told him she would call the police if he didn't stop, and he then threatened to go into the house, take the woman's 1-month-old daughter and harm her, Krones said.
During the time when Remy was being hung from the tree and beaten, he began to thrash around and snapped at Vega Mendoza, biting him in the face, Krones said. In his booking sheet, Vega Mendoza has facial injuries as a result.
Celli said that when officers arrived at the scene, Remy – who is very friendly – ran to them and hid behind them.
He then got into the police car, and – considering that he looks like a police dog – was right at home, riding with his head out the window, Celli said.
Krones said a rope was found over a tree branch at the scene. Remy didn't have neck injuries, but he did appear to have a preexisting hip injury, exhibiting a noticeable limp.
Vega Mendoza was arrested and taken to the hospital for his facial injuries before he was booked into the Lake County Jail. “He’s been in custody ever since,” said Krones.
Part of the reason for Vega Mendoza remaining in jail is a hold placed on him by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE.
Krones said Vega Mendoza claimed to have been in the United States for many years. He's listed as a carpenter on his booking sheet, and she said he has been working for his cousin.
She added that she is not sure how the immigration hold will play into the case. “They have not been putting ICE holds on everybody,” she added, noting that used to be a much more common practice.
Unconvincing testimony
During his trial, Vega Mendoza took the stand, denying all of the allegations, Krones said.
“He said he was just playing with the dog,” Krones said.
Vega Mendoza claimed that he had his jacket around his arm and he was teaching Remy to be an attack dog. He also stated that witnesses must have mistook the dog's jumping around for being hoisted up by the rope.
“He said he was teaching the dog a lesson, but what lesson is that?” Krones asked.
He also testified that he was not drunk and that the dog didn't bite him in the face, but that he had been scratched on a fence the day before, Krones said.
She said Vega Mendoza's testimony didn't make sense. “The judge did not think his testimony was credible.”
Vega Mendoza is due to be sentenced Sept. 9, Krones said.
He's facing a maximum of three years in state prison – not the county jail – due to the severity of the crimes for which he was convicted, with both of the threat charges being strikes. Due to the ICE hold, he's also not eligible for probation, Krones added.
Because the charges came from the same incident, Vega Mendoza is likely to get sentences that run concurrently, Krones said.
She said Vega Mendoza has no previous animal cruelty cases or felonies, but he has had priors going back to 1997, the most serious of which was a misdemeanor criminal threat case in 2012 that occurred outside of Lake County and resulted in him being placed on probation.
The felony strike convictions in the dog abuse case may result in Vega Mendoza being deported. Krones said it is likely he will serve prison time first, although it's ultimately up to immigration authorities.
There are several other animal cruelty cases involving dogs working their way through the local courts now, said Krones.
She's also handling the case against Clearlake resident Michael Truscott, who was arrested in May after police said he threw a 9-month-old puppy to the ground and broke her jaw.
A friend of Truscott's submitted to Lake County News a voice recording of him claiming that he accidentally injured the dog.
As for Remy, after Vega Mendoza was arrested, Remy was taken to the SPCA of Clear Lake, which has held an animal control contract with the city of Clearlake since October 2013.
SPCA Executive Director Mary Jane Montana called news of the verdict “awesome.”
She said Remy is a sweet dog who this spring was adopted out to a new home, details about which she can't disclose. She added that he'll never have to worry about Vega Mendoza abusing him again.
Montana said Remy had severe dysplasia in the injured leg and apparently in another as well, which was disclosed to the adopter.
Both she and Krones said the dog is awaiting hip replacement surgery.
“I'm glad the dog’s in a good home and hopefully he’ll get the surgery he needs,” Krones said.
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KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – This week the Illini 4000 team will be biking through Kelseyville as part of a nationwide tour to raise awareness about cancer's impact on America and raise funds for research.
The team will stop at Grace Church at 6 p.m. Friday, July 31, to visit with the community. The public is invited to attend.
The Illini 4000 is a student group and nonprofit organization based out of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Every summer, Illini 4000 sends a group of students on a cross-country bicycle trip to fundraise for cancer research, spread information about cancer.
The group said its ride this summer is covering more than 4,500 miles from New York City to San Francisco.
Members of the Illini 4000 also interview those who have been affected by cancer as a part of the Portraits Project.
The Portraits Project is a collection of narratives, also known as Portraits, that demonstrate how cancer affects people across America.
While traveling across the country, riders interview cancer patients and survivors from all walks of life and compile their stories.
The Illini 4000 team will speak at the Grace Church gathering. All community members are welcome, and those willing to share their experience with cancer are strongly encouraged to do so.
The event is free, but the Illini 4000 will accept donations.
Funds raised will go toward the 2015 fundraising total, with proceeds benefiting a variety of charities including the American Cancer Society, Camp Kesem-Illinois, the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation, the B+ Foundation, TLC Camp in Lombard, IL, and Cancer Research at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
The Illini 4000 has successfully completed five cross-country trips and raised more than $800,000.
For more information visit www.illini4000.org , www.portraitsproject.org , www.facebook.com/Illini4000 and Twitter/Instagram, @illini4000.
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – As firefighters continue to work major incidents around the state, the National Weather Service has issued a special weather statement for much of Northern California due to fire weather concerns.
The agency is urging caution due to the potential for triple-digit temperatures through Thursday and medium- to high-elevation thunderstorms into early next week.
In the midst of the hot summer temperatures, Cal Fire said 5,200 firefighters from Cal Fire, US Forest Service, local fire departments and other federal agencies are making progress as they work on the front lines of nine active fires across the states.
The hot conditions helped fuel a flare up on the Wragg fire in Napa and Solano counties on Tuesday afternoon, with new evacuations ordered, as Lake County News has reported. However,
Due to the increase in hot, dry temperatures as well as the high level of fire activity, Cal Fire is urging Californians to use extra caution outdoors.
For information on wildland fire preparedness, visit www.ReadyForWildfire.org .
The following is a summary of major incidents around the state, with size estimates through late Tuesday night.
Cal Fire incidents
– Lowell fire: Began July 25 in Nevada County; 2,303 acres, 40-percent contained. Evacuations remain in effect, with 1,800 structures in Nevada and Placer counties threatened. Four injuries. Cause is under investigation. Estimated full containment: Aug. 1.
– Wragg fire: Began July 22 in Napa and Solano counties; 6,991 acres, 80-percent contained. Evacuations in effect after the fire had a flare up on Tuesday afternoon. Two outbuildings destroyed, three outbuildings and one residence damaged. No injuries reported. Cause is under investigation. Estimated full containment: July 28.
– Queen fire: Began July 25 in Humboldt County; 158 acres, 42-percent contained. Two injuries. No cause given.
Federal incidents
– Willow fire: Began July 25 in Madera County; 1,739 acres, 30-percent contained. No injuries reported. Caused by arson; juvenile suspect identified.
– Cutca fire: Began July 24 in San Diego County; 167 acres, 75-percent contained. No injuries reported. Cause is unknown.
– Kyburz fire: Began July 23 in El Dorado County; 75 acres, 98-percent contained. No injuries reported. Cause is under investigation.
– Pines fire: Began July 17 in Los Angeles County; 200 acres, 100-percent contained. No injuries reported. Cause is under investigation.
– Lake fire: Began July 16 in San Bernardino County; 31,359 acres, 98-percent contained. No injuries reported. Human caused; remains under investigation.
– Washington fire: Began June 19 in Alpine County; 17,790 acres, 99-percent contained. No injuries reported. Caused by lightning. Estimated full containment: July 31.
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