The fire broke out shortly after 2 p.m. in the area of Boyles Avenue and Dam Road, and quickly spread north, threatening Woodland Community College’s Lake County Campus, Obsidian Middle School and thousands of homes on the east side of the Clearlake, said City Manager Alan Flora.
The Lake County Fire Protection District, Cal Fire and mutual aid partners fought the fire from the ground and the air. Flora credited their efforts with saving many structures.
At the same time, authorities called for evacuations on the east side of the city that displaced 4,000 residents, fire officials reported.
By Sunday night, forward progress had been stopped, and the fire was reported to be holding at around 76 acres and 10% containment.
“Current damage assessments indicate over 30 homes were lost, and the assessments will continue tomorrow morning,” Flora said.
The city reported that another 60 structures were damaged.
The Lake County Fire Protection District said 40 to 50 vehicles also were destroyed.
In a message to students and staff, Konocti Unified School District Superintendent Dr. Becky Salato said that the Boyles fire “has affected some of our schools and many of our families.”
With student and staff safety being a priority, Salato said that on Monday Obsidian Middle School, along with Blue Heron and Richard H. Lewis School will be closed for safety inspections.
Also to be closed Monday area W.C. Carle Continuation High School, Highlands Academy, Lower Lake High School and Lower Lake Elementary School. All other schools in the district will be back in session, Salato said.
On Sunday evening, the Governor’s Office reported that Gov. Gavin Newsom had secured a Fire Management Assistance Grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to help ensure the availability of resources to suppress the Boyles fire.
Flora, as the city’s director of emergency services, issued a Sunday night proclamation declaring a Boyles fire local emergency. The full proclamation is published below.
Flora said some of the evacuation zones had been cleared for repopulation as of 10 p.m.
Those zones included areas north of 24th Avenue and the Cache Creek Apartments, according to Nixle alerts issued Sunday night by the Clearlake Police Department.
However, areas south of 24th Avenue to Dam Road other than Cache Creek Apartments remained under an mandatory evacuation order, police reported.
At the height of the incident, nearly 9,100 Pacific Gas and Electric customers were out of power.
Flora reported that some evacuation zones still were without power due to damaged PG&E infrastructure. Shortly after 12:30 a.m. Monday, PG&E said crews were making repairs and that about 100 customers remained without power.
For those still under evacuation orders, a temporary shelter has been established at Twin Pine Casino in Middletown.
The city said all evacuees who need assistance or suffered a loss of their home should check in at the shelter at Twin Pine, even if they do not intend to stay there.
“This will allow the city and our partners to establish contact with you as we assist through the difficult recovery process,” Flora said in the Sunday night update.
Those unable to visit the shelter at Twin Pine should contact the city at 707-994-8201 and leave their contact information.
The city’s local emergency declaration follows.
PROCLAMATION BY THE
CITY OF CLEARLAKE DIRECTOR OF EMERGENCY SERVICES
DECLARING A LOCAL EMERGENCY FOR THE BOYLES FIRE
WHEREAS, City of Clearlake Municipal Code Section 2-11.6 empowers the Director of Emergency Services (City Manager) to proclaim the existence or threatened existence of a local emergency when the city is affected or likely to be affected by a public calamity and the City Council is not in session; and WHEREAS, Government Code Section 8550 et seq., including Section 8558(c), authorize the City Manager to proclaim a local emergency when the City is threatened by conditions of disaster or extreme peril to the safety of persons and property within the City that are likely to be beyond the control of the services, personnel, equipment, and facilities of the City; and
WHEREAS, on September 8, 2024 the Boyles Fire was started near Boyles Avenue and 8th Avenue in Clearlake and quickly spread north quickly driven by high winds.; and
WHEREAS, after a fierce fire fight by various partners from throughout the region, and led by CalFire and the Lake County Fire Protection District, approximately 90 acres were scorched, approximately 30 homes were lost, Pacific Gas and Electric infrastructure was damaged, and significant private property damage occurred, of which the full extent is still unknown; and
WHEREAS, dozens of Clearlake families have lost their homes and property; and
WHEREAS, such recovery from such conditions is beyond the control of the services, personnel, equipment, and facilities of the City and require the combined forces of other political subdivisions to combat and clean up; and
WHEREAS, the mobilization of local resources, ability to coordinate interagency response, accelerate procurement of vital supplies, use mutual aid, and allow for future reimbursement by the state and federal governments will be critical to successfully responding to the impacts of the Boyles Fire; and
WHEREAS, the City Manager, as the City’s Director of Emergency Services, has the power to declare a local emergency as authorized by Government Code section 8630 and Clearlake Municipal Code section 2-11.6.
NOW, THEREFORE, IT IS PROCLAIMED AND ORDERED by the City Manager of the City of Clearlake as follows:
A. A local emergency exists based on the existence of conditions of disaster or of extreme peril to the safety of persons and property, as detailed in the recitals set forth above.
B. The area of the City which is endangered/imperiled within the footprint of the Boyles Fire and beyond.
C. During the existence of this local emergency, the powers, functions, and duties of the emergency organization of this City shall be those prescribed by state law and by ordinances, resolutions, and orders of this City, including but not limited to the City of Clearlake Emergency Operations Plan.
D. The City Council shall review and ratify this proclamation within seven (7) days as required by state law, and if ratified, shall continue to exist until the City Council proclaims the termination of this local emergency. The City Council shall review the need for continuing the local emergency as required by state law until it terminates the local emergency, and shall terminate the local emergency at the earliest possible date that conditions warrant.
E. That a copy of this proclamation be forwarded to the Director of California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services requesting that the Director find it acceptable in accordance with State Law; that the Governor of California, pursuant to the Emergency Services Act, issue a proclamation declaring an emergency in the City of Clearlake; that the Governor waive regulations that may hinder response and recovery efforts; that recovery assistance be made available under the California Disaster Assistance Act; and that the State expedite access to State and Federal resources and any other appropriate federal disaster relief programs.
DATED: September 8, 2024
_______________________________________
Alan D. Flora
Director of Emergency Services
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