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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Authorities have arrested a Clearlake man who they say was responsible for setting a wildland fire last week.

Charles William Cartwright, 54, was taken into custody on Monday, Cal Fire reported.

Cal Fire said the fire Cartwright is believed to have set occurred on Friday.

Resources were dispatched to the area of Ogulin Canyon Road in Clearlake for smoke seen on the hillside at approximately 7:20 p.m. Friday, Cal Fire said.

When they arrived in the area, firefighters confirmed there was a fire and began searching for access to it, Cal Fire said.

Cal Fire said its aerial resources were the first to arrive at the fire and were successful in holding it in check until the first ground resources found access to it at approximately 8:10 p.m.

The fire burned approximately one-third of an acre, Cal Fire said.

Cal Fire law enforcement officers arrived at the fire shortly after the ground resources and began investigating its origin and cause, the agency reported.

During the course of the investigation, Cal Fire said a suspect was identified and an arrest warrant was issued for the suspect.

On Monday, authorities located Cartwright and took him into custody without incident, Cal Fire said.

Cartwright was booked into the Lake County Jail on a felony charge of recklessly setting a fire on forest land and a misdemeanor arson charge.

His bail was set at $50,000 and he remained in custody on Tuesday.

Cartwright, whose occupation is listed as lawn care, is scheduled for a court appearance on Aug. 16, according to his booking sheet.

Cal Fire said it was assisted by the Clearlake Police Department, Lake County Sheriff's Office, Lake County District Attorney’s Office, Lake County Fire Protection District and North Shore Fire Protection District.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — A Lucerne man was seriously injured in a Friday motorcycle crash on Highway 20.

Joseph Ambrose, 31, was the motorcyclist injured in the wreck, the California Highway Patrol’s Clear Lake Area office reported Monday.

The CHP said the crash occurred at about 3:15 p.m. Friday on Highway 20 at Crump Avenue in Nice.

Ambrose was riding a black and red 2004 Yamaha VXS1100 motorcycle westbound on Highway 20 as Paul McGrorey, 60, also of Lucerne, was driving a silver 2005 Dodge Ram 1500 pickup eastbound, the CHP said.

McGrorey stopped in the double-left turn lane at the intersection with Crump Avenue, according to the report.

For reasons the CHP said are still under investigation, Ambrose laid down the Yamaha motorcycle.

The CHP said Ambrose was ejected from the motorcycle and collided with the Dodge pickup.

Ambrose sustained major injuries as a result of the collision and was life-flighted to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital, the CHP said.

The investigating CHP officer determined Ambrose was wearing a helmet at the time of the collision. McGrorey, who was wearing his seat belt, was uninjured.

Neither alcohol nor drug usage is suspected, the CHP said.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Each month the stats may change a little here and there, but the picture continues to be a positive one for people who are selling their homes in Lake County.

However, the market can be a little frustrating for those looking to buy. Inventory is still low, time on market is short and multiple offers on homes are still common.

Existing median price for houses in all of Lake County was $335,000 for the month of June 2021. This is up 3.39% from last year at this time, but down $25,000 from last month’s median price of $360,000.

May was up $27,000 over April so we are seeing slight fluctuation in median price from month to month.

Lakeport’s median home price was $370,000, down 9.5% from June 2020.

Hidden Valley’s median home price was $398,000, up 12.1% from last year and up $38,000 from May’s $360,000 median price.

The Kelseyville median home price was $334,000, up 7.6%, and the Clearlake median home price was $188,000, up 16% in a year-over comparison.

Existing home sales countywide totaled 107, which was up 23% over June 2020.

Lakeport sales were 19, which was down 20.8%; Hidden Valley sales were also 19, which is up 72.7% from the previous year; Kelseyville home sales were 24, up 14.3%; and Clearlake home sales totaled 17, up 88.9%.

As far as inventory goes, active listings countywide totaled 168, which is down 29.1% from last year at this time.

Lakeport had 28 active listings which is actually up 16.7% from last year, while Hidden Valley Lake had 19 active listings, down 51.3%.

Kelseyville had 36 active listings, down 36.8%, and Clearlake had 28 active listings, down 30%.

Countywide the number of days on the market continues to be very low, with the median being 12 days for June 2021. Sales price continues to be an average 100% of list price. But price reductions are still happening when properties are overpriced, with 32.1% of active listings having price reductions for June 2021.

Lakeport had a median of six days on the market with 100% sale to list price, and 39.3% of active listings having price reductions for June.

Hidden Valley Lake had a median of seven days on the market with sales to list price at 100% and 10.5% of homes with price reductions.

In Kelseyville, total median days on market came out a little higher at 18 days with sales to list price being 100% and a larger amount of price reductions at 41.7%.

Clearlake’s median days on market totaled seven, with sales to list price at 98% and 28.6% of listings with price reductions.

The bottom line is if you are thinking of selling, price it right and you should have a quick successful sale.

If you are thinking of buying, go into it prepared and anticipate competition.

Tama Prokopowich is president-elect of the Lake County Association of Realtors.

LAKEPORT, Calif. — The Lakeport Economic Development Advisory Committee will hold its next meeting on Wednesday, July 28.

The committee, or LEDAC, will meet via Zoom at 7:30 a.m. Wednesday, July 28.

The meeting is open to the public.

The group had planned to begin meeting in person again but due to the changing COVID-19 situation have decided to continue with virtual meetings until further notice.

The meeting will be held via Zoom: Meeting ID, 943 0904 9196; passcode, 888455. Dial by your location, +1 669 900 6833.

On the agenda is a review of current membership, change in positions and identification of missing representation.

The group also will review the work plan for updating the Lakeport Economic Development Strategic Plan, discuss the Logic Model approach in developing the plan work program and consideration of including features addressing resiliency, the arts and cultural plan, and closer ties with partnership organizations.

There also will be updates on city projects and activities, and member reports.

LEDAC advocates for a strong and positive Lakeport business community and acts as a conduit between the city and the community for communicating the goals, activities and progress of Lakeport’s economic and business programs.

Members are Chair Wilda Shock and Vice Chair Denise Combs, Bonnie Darling, Candy De Los Santos, Monica Flores, Pam Harpster, Andy Lucas, Alicia Russell, Laura Sammel and Marie Schrader, with Bill Eaton as an ex officio member. City staff who are members include City Manager Kevin Ingram and Community Development Director Jenni Byers.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.

As the North American monsoon continues over the southwestern United States this week, AccuWeather meteorologists say that shifting moisture may allow the concentration of drenching storms to ease up in New Mexico and Arizona.

But storms, some with downpours, some with no rain, are forecast to ramp up in portions of Nevada, California, Oregon and Idaho in the coming days.

Prior to Sunday night, with a couple of exceptions this summer, thunderstorms associated with the monsoon have largely been absent thus far. There have been a couple of incidents of spotty showers and thunderstorms.

During June 17-18, and more recently on July 13, showers and storms dotted Southern California. The storms on July 13, managed to bring 0.10 of an inch of rain to Downtown Los Angeles.

The spotty, little rain that has occurred thus far west of Arizona has done nothing to impact the exceptional drought ongoing in California, Nevada and Oregon.

In California alone, 33% of the state was considered to be in exceptional drought, which is the worst category of drought level, according to data from the United States Drought Monitor.

A drought emergency remained in effect for 50 of the 58 counties or 42% of the population in California. Major reservoirs have plummeted to historically low levels in many cases for this point in the season.

While the overall amount and extent of rain, the newest surge of moisture remains questionable from Southern California and southern Nevada, as well as point farther to the north, there is a concern amongst AccuWeather meteorologists of what mainly dry thunderstorms might bring.

"We often see thunderstorms with little rain and a significant amount of lightning strikes on the leading edge of monsoon moisture and this may be one of those situations," AccuWeather Meteorologist Matt Benz said.

Locally gusty winds often accompany the thunderstorms in the West. The winds may not only kick up dust in the vicinity, but can fan the sparks and flames produced by lightning strikes. With little or no rain to extinguish these flames, multiple wildfires can quickly spread through the dry brush that has been baking in the sun all summer long.

In Las Vegas on early Monday morning, over 13,000 were without power due to thunderstorms.

Any non-flooding rainfall without lightning would be welcomed.

A small number of the storms will manage to bring enough rain to wet the ground and result in a temporary soaking, while a smaller number still can bring so much rain as to lead to isolated flash flooding and debris flows.

"The pattern is pulling a significant amount of atmospheric moisture westward, so it is possible that some communities in Southern California and Nevada get thoroughly soaked with a risk of flash flooding as well," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Brian Thomson said.

During Monday morning, showers and thunderstorms managed to unload 0.44 of an inch of rain on Palm Springs, California.



Flash flood watches and warnings were issued across Southern California, southern Nevada and southern Utah on Monday morning. Within 30 minutes after 9 a.m., local time, 0.71 inches of rain was measured in Primm, Nevada, near the state border with California.

As the deluge continued, areas like Pahrump, Nevada, about 60 miles east of Death Valley, saw flash flooding along Highway 160. An estimated .5 to 1 inch of rainfall reportedly fell around the area, with the highest observations pushing 2 inches, according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Alan Reppert.

"These seem to be slow moving storms too, so they can dump a lot of rain in a quick time," Reppert said.

For these reasons, hikers are strongly urged to monitor the changing weather not only at their location, but in the distance as well. Lightning can extend outward a dozen miles or more in extreme cases. A downpour miles upstream can produce a torrent of water through canyons and dry stream beds with a mainly clear sky overhead.

At the very least, most residents will notice an uptick in humidity levels during the first part of this week in the West.

"The westward push of monsoon moisture is moving along with the progression of a storm in the middle levels of the atmosphere," Benz explained.

This moisture will then be drawn northward around a large area of high pressure that remains anchored over the central Rockies and Plains this week.

"This circulation will tend to spread the thunderstorm risk into areas that have already been hammered by wildfires so far this summer in Northern California, northern Nevada, Oregon and Idaho as the week progresses," Benz said.

While some increase in moisture in the air may raise humidity levels slightly over the Northwest by midweek, it probably will not be enough to make a big difference in lowering the potential combustion of natural fuels in the region.

As of Monday night, there were 85 large, non-contained wildfires burning in the United States, mostly in the West, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.

In Northern California, the Dixie Fire, which is only 22% contained, had consumed 198,021 acres and destroyed 36 structures as of Monday night. The cause of the Dixie Fire remains under investigation.

In southern Oregon, the Bootleg Fire, which started from lightning strikes, was 53% contained, had burned 409,611 acres and destroyed 184 structures.

Farther southwest, rain from the monsoon has brought some drought relief in portions of New Mexico and Arizona, but at a price.

The combination of torrential downpours, that have repeated or lingered in some cases, on top of rugged and arid terrain has led to incidents of flash flooding.

On Friday, the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office in Arizona shared a video on Twitter of the department's aviation unit saving a stranded driver that drove through a flooded street and got stuck.

Last Tuesday, drenching rainfall centered on Albuquerque, New Mexico, where 1 inch of rain poured down in just 15 minutes near Indian School and Tramway, according to the Albuquerque Journal. The rising waters of the Embudo Arroyo caused three people to be swept away in the flooding. All three bodies have been recovered. Nolan Bennett, a field engineer for Albuquerque Metropolitan Arroyo Flood Control, told local station KOB, there was about 10 to 12 feet of water rushing down the arroyo.

The National Weather Service office in Flagstaff, Arizona, told the Associated Press that more rain fell in some places in northern Arizona than in the whole monsoon season last year. At least one fatality was attributed to the heavy rain in the Flagstaff area after a woman was swept away in floodwaters.

A fresh 1.80 inches of rain was measured in Flagstaff on Saturday, compared to an average of 2.61 inches for all of July. An additional 0.55 of an inch fell on Flagstaff on Sunday and brought the July 2021 total to 5.41 inches.

Phoenix has received nearly two times its normal rainfall for all of July, while Tucson, Arizona, has received 3.4 times the average for the month so far with a whopping 3.7 times the normal rainfall for El Paso, Texas, through July 25.

Other cities at an elevated risk for flash flooding this week include Yuma, Arizona; Las Vegas and Palm Springs.

"There is likely to be a lull or decrease in the amount of drenching thunderstorm activity in portions of New Mexico and Arizona as this mid-level storm hovers off the coast of Southern California for a time this week," Benz added.

Still a lull does not mean that storms will be completely absent and there is still a risk of isolated incidents of flash flooding through this week over the interior Southwest.

Alex Sosnowski is an AccuWeather senior meteorologist.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The California Highway Patrol said a major injury crash involving four vehicles on Highway 20 in Clearlake Oaks on Saturday sent several people to the hospital and led to one man being arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence.

Stephen Williams, 37, of Pacifica was arrested following the crash, which took place at 4:10 p.m. Saturday on Highway 20 east of Sulphur Bank Drive, according to a Monday report from the CHP’s Clear Lake Area office.

The CHP said Williams was driving a blue 2004 Toyota Highlander westbound on Highway 20, approaching Sulphur Bank Drive at a high rate of speed.

Randall Wilk, 61, of Oakland was driving a blue 2015 Toyota Prius westbound, directly in front of Williams' Toyota Highlander, while Kristi Crume, 34, of Grass Valley, was driving a silver 2002 Jeep Grand Cherokee eastbound, followed by 70-year-old Kenneth Tomatis of Modesto, who was driving a white 2009 Hyundai Santa Fe, the CHP said.

For reasons that the CHP said are still under investigation, Williams' Toyota Highlander collided with the rear of Wilk’s Toyota Prius, causing Wilk to lose control of the Prius.

Williams’ Toyota Highlander continued in a westerly direction and collided head-on with Crume’s Jeep Grand Cherokee, with the Toyota then continuing in a westerly direction and colliding head-on with Tomatis’ Hyundai Santa Fe, the CHP said.

The CHP said Williams suffered major injuries as a result of the collision and was subsequently arrested by Clear Lake CHP officers, who observed signs and symptoms of alcohol intoxication.

Williams was flown by air ambulance to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital, the CHP said.

Crume had major injuries and was flown to UC Davis Medical Center for treatment, along with two young children, girls ages 1 and 2, who were with her and who had minor injuries, the CHP said.

Wilk had minor injuries and Tomatis was not reported to be injured, with neither transported, the CHP said.

All six of the individuals in the four vehicles were using their safety equipment, the CHP said.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.