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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Lake County Sheriff’s Office is asking residents north of Lower Lake – not including the city of Clearlake – to be prepared to evacuate should the LNU Lightning Complex advance further into Lake County.

Shortly before 4:30 p.m. Saturday, the sheriff’s office issued an evacuation warning for all residences and areas east of Highway 29, north of Morgan Valley Road, south of Highway 20 and west of the previous warning/evacuation line at Sky High Ridge Road, from Morgan Valley Road extending north to Highway 20, not to include any residents within the city limits of Clearlake.

“We are asking everyone to take preparations in the event that a mandatory evacuation order is issued. Preparations should include gathering all medications, important documents, making plans for pets, and notifying family members where you may be going. Those requiring additional time to evacuate or those with pets or livestock should leave the area as soon as possible,” the sheriff’s office said.

The sheriff’s office urged people to evacuate early in order to avoid hectic traffic conditions and keep themselves, their neighbors and first responders safe.

Should an evacuation order be issued and shelter is needed, evacuees will be directed to a temporary evacuation point.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Lake County Sheriff’s Office on Saturday afternoon issued a new mandatory evacuation order for south county residents in the path of the growing LNU Lightning Complex.

The sheriff’s office ordered residents to immediately leave areas south of Morgan Valley Road, west of the mandatory evacuation borderline at Sky High Ridge Road to Highway 29 and Highway 53 in Lower Lake, and east of Highway 29 at Hofacker Lane to the mandatory evacuation borderline.

This area was previously under an evacuation warning, which on Saturday afternoon was upgraded to an evacuation order.

Residents are advised that there is an immediate threat to life and property from a wildfire and are urged to evacuate.

Those who are in need of shelter should proceed to a temporary evacuation point, or TEP, that has been set up at the Kelseyville High School parking lot, located at 5480 Main St. Evacuees are asked to stay in their vehicles and wear masks when they arrive at the TEP. A shelter is being established and evacuees will be directed to the shelter by staff at the TEP.

Evacuees are urged to take the following protective actions and leave immediately:

– Gather all family members.
– Gather all pets.
– Gather only essential items.
– Be sure to bring essential medications with you.
– Turn off all appliances and lights in your home.
– Lock your home.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Forest officials said another lightning-caused fire is burning on the Mendocino National Forest, this time on the Upper Lake Ranger District.

The Hull fire is located five miles north of Lake Pillsbury. It is estimated at 2,000 acres, officials reported.

Forest officials said in a Saturday report that the fire was detected on Wednesday after several rounds of thunderstorms occurred across the forest earlier in the week.

There are 47 personnel committed to the incident including seven engine crews, one hand crew and operations managers. On Saturday, fire personnel will use direct suppression tactics and construct handlines where possible, the Mendocino National Forest reported.

The fire is burning in timber on the north and east aspects of Hull Mountain and is active in Hull Creek, backing down into Rattlesnake Creek and spreading north along Panther Ridge, according to the forest’s report.

Officials said the fire is threatening cabins to the south and other private property may become threatened as the fire progresses northward.

Smoke in the community of Potter Valley and the Pillsbury subdivision has degraded air quality. A known sensitive air quality area is located east of the fire in the Snow Mountain Wilderness, the forest reported.

The weather forecast shows hot and dry conditions continuing with a chance of lightning again for Sunday through Tuesday. Temperatures will range from 75 to 80 degrees on the ridges.

There is an area closure in place due to the fire activity in the August Complex. The forest order and map are posted on the forest website.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The LNU Lightning Complex continued its aggressive growth overnight, burning nearly 12,000 acres even in cooler conditions.

The fire, burning since early Monday, was up to 314,207 acres on Saturday morning, with containment remaining at 15 percent, according to Cal Fire.

It continues to threaten 30,500 structures. Cal Fire said on Saturday that additional damage assessments confirmed 560 structures have been destroyed and 125 damaged.

Resources assigned include 1,429 firefighters, 194 engines, 35 water tenders, 11 helicopters, 13 hand crews and 36 dozers, Cal Fire reported.

The portion of the fire burning into Lake County, the Hennessey fire, grew by 5,000 acres overnight to a total of 261,793 acres, with containment remaining at 15 percent, according to Cal Fire’s Saturday morning report.

The Hennessey fire also is burning in Napa, Solano and Yolo counties.

Because of the fire’s continued expansion, local authorities have left in place an evacuation order for the Hidden Valley Lake and Jerusalem Valley areas, while an evacuation warning remains in effect for the greater Middletown area.

In Sonoma County, the Walbridge portion of the complex, located west of Healdsburg, is at 50,069 acres, and the Meyers fire north of Jenner is at 2,345 acres. There is so far no containment on either fire.

Cal Fire will stream its morning update on the fire on its Facebook page at 11 a.m. Saturday.

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.

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Clearlake’s police chief has earned the highest educational certificate available from the organization that sets professional standards for California’s law enforcement agencies.

During Thursday night’s Clearlake City Council meeting, Maria Sandoval, assistant executive director for the Field Services Division of the California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training, or POST, presented the organization’s Executive Certificate to Chief Andrew White.

Sandoval said POST sets the standards for 608 agencies and 97,000 police officers and dispatchers in California.

She said there are six POST certificates, with the Executive Certificate being the highest possible.

It must be earned; candidates must be full-time peace officers of a POST-participating agency who possess an Advanced Certificate, have earned a minimum of 60 semester units at an accredited college, served for a period of two years as the department’s head and who have completed the Executive Development Course.

Sandoval said less than 1 percent of the certificates POST gives are for the executive level. Since the organization was formed in 1959, approximately 1,738 of the Executive Certificates have been awarded. White’s is No. 1736.

White, who joined the city in the summer of 2018, thanked Sandoval for coming and for her assistance in helping his department host a POST-certified training course earlier in the week. She and White have reportedly worked together for many years.

“This isn’t really about me,” said White, crediting his department’s staff for their support and hard work.

He cited the previous day as an example, with officers helping to evacuate Hidden Valley Lake from the path of the LNU Lightning Complex during the course of the day and then going home, only to have to turn around and come back to work through the night due to a double-shooting. White said none of them complained.

As much as receiving the certificate is an accomplishment for White, he said it speaks to his staff’s support.

Council members lauded White for his achievement.

“We all feel very lucky to have you,” said Mayor Russ Cremer.

“We are very proud of Chief White’s achievement. His dedication to the Clearlake Police Department and to our community is beyond measure,” City Manager Alan Flora said in a Friday statement. “Chief White is a devoted leader not only to his team, but the entire organization. He maintains the continual desire to learn and improve personally in order to help make our city cleaner and safer.”

“I am grateful for the support I have received in my role as chief including from the members of the police department, city officials, the community and my family,” White said Friday. “I look forward to continuing to serve amongst a very dedicated and passionate team as we strive to continually improve.”

Lakeport Police Chief Brad Rasmussen received the POST Executive Certificate in September 2014, and the following year one of White’s predecessors in the Clearlake Police chief’s job, Craig Clausen, also was awarded the certificate, as Lake County News has reported.

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.

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – The complex of fires burning since Sunday on the Mendocino National Forest continued to add more acreage on Friday as officials instituted a closure on the forest.

The August Complex had grown to 143,663 acres and 6-percent containment as of Friday night, according to the US Forest Service.

The complex is made up of 32 fires that have burned into 20 larger fires, officials said.

The Forest Service said 353 firefighters and 69 overhead personnel, 29 engines, two helicopters, five bulldozers, seven water tenders and six fire crews are assigned.

Officials said the Tathum and Cold Springs fires – located four miles west of Paskenta – have merged. The Forest Service is working in tandem with Cal Fire, which is constructing dozer lines along County Road 306 to protect the private homes and properties.

Mendocino National Forest officials said they have implemented a temporary area closure for the August Complex effective Friday.

The closure is to provide for firefighter and public safety due to extreme fire behavior and hazards associated with the complex, officials said.

“We understand it is hunting season and people want to go hunting and camping,” Forest Supervisor Ann Carlson said in a Friday statement. “However, this closure is necessary to ensure no one is injured within or near the fires or that visitors enter areas and find their egress compromised by dangerous fire activity. It will also help keep fire personnel safe while working on and near roads in order to contain the fires.”

Although this is a sizable closure and all National Forest System lands, inclusive of roads, trails, and campgrounds within the closure area will be closed until the hazards can be reduced to an acceptable level, officials said much of the forest remains open.

Officials ask visitors to please remember good camping etiquette and pack out everything that you pack in.

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.