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DOUBLE EAGLE RANCH – Firefighters from around Lake County and from Cal Fire's Sonoma-Lake-Napa Unit were engaged in a battle against a lightning-caused fire in the Walker Ridge area that was estimated to have burned more than 4,000 acres late Sunday.
With firefighting equipment and personnel stretched thin due to the hundreds of other lightning fires around California, Cal Fire estimated Sunday night that the Walker Fire could balloon to 10,000 acres because of limited resources.
While the fire was reported to be moving toward Bear Ridge, the big concern was that winds from the Sacramento Valley might push the fire in the other direction, toward the Spring Valley area, which could trigger evacuations.
Northshore Fire Battalion Chief Pat Brown said the fire was reported Sunday afternoon when smoke was spotted in the remote wildland area over the ridge from the Double Eagle Ranch subdivision, located about 14 miles east of Clearlake Oaks.
But the thick, smoky haze hanging over the county from fires in Mendocino County made it difficult to pin down the fire's location, said Brown, with firefighters spending half an hour looking for it.
By the time they found it, the fast-moving fire already had reached about 500 acres, Brown said.
The fire was burning through thick brush, and could be seen lining the ridges behind the subdivision, where in one area a column of flame suddenly expanded and leaped into the night air.
Brown said that personnel and 10 pieces of in-county fire equipment from all county fire protection districts – Lake County, South County, Lakeport, Kelseyville and Northshore – were on the Walker Ridge fire Sunday. Colusa County sent a strike team from its Sacramento River Fire District.
Cal Fire reported that total resources in place included 13 engines, 11 crews, one helicopter, six air tankers plus a DC-10, one bulldozer, three water tenders and 54 personnel.
The planes and helicopter were called back close to dark, said Brown. They were expected to return Monday.
“I can't get any more equipment,” said Brown, adding there weren't enough firefighting resources available because of the statewide fire picture.
Brown said that, along with the water tenders, three subdivision residents had large water tanks containing several thousand gallons of water, and another had a swimming pool, which could be used as water sources of necessary.
The big concern is wind, said Brown.
Although the wind had died down Sunday evening, Brown said much depends on conditions overnight and into Monday morning. If valley winds come in, they could push the fire toward Spring Valley.
Cal Fire reported wind gust of up to 14 miles per hour in the area Sunday.
Concerns that the fire could reach the Double Eagle Ranch led officials to evacuate all of the homeowners currently in residence Sunday evening.
Three Lake County Sheriff's deputies and a sergeant were on scene to evacuate between 25 and 30 residents, said Sgt. Kip Ringen.
One older man, who was leaving the Double Eagle on foot with his dog late Sunday, said he was ordered to leave and firefighters were stationed near his home.
“I hope I can go back soon,” he said.
The Clearlake Oaks Fire Station was opened as a Red Cross emergency shelter to area residents, officials reported.
With residents out of the subdivision, fire equipment was stationed around some area homes in case the fire comes over the ridge. Cal Fire reported 10 residences in the area were threatened.
Ringen said he also found several goats at a home in the Double Eagle Ranch while looking for residents to evacuate. The goats' owner wasn't home, so Ringen called for Animal Care and Control, who removed the animals.
Officials reported as many as 10 female goats and an uncooperative billy goat were taken to safety.
Animal Care and Control staffer Sara Schramm and Officer Eric Wood were at the Clearlake Oaks Fire Station with a pickup truck and trailer in case they were needed to help evacuate other livestock.
Schramm said four horses had been brought out by their owners, with another officer helping find boarding situations for the animals.
Late Sunday, California Highway Patrol officers were stationed at the entrance to Double Eagle along with sheriff's deputies in order to control traffic if necessary.
Although the fire was several ridges away from Highway 20, officials were prepared for the possibility that they might have to shut down the highway.
“That's probably one of our biggest concerns,” said Brown.
The roadway was still open late Sunday, although Brown again cautioned that conditions overnight and on Monday could change that.
CHP reported that Caltrans sign trucks were being requested as a precaution to set up at Highways 20 and 16, and at the intersection of Highway 53 and 20 in case a road closure became necessary.
Farther east on Highway 20, officials reported that the fire was expected to reach the highway near the Oasis – an old road house – around midnight.
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CLEARLAKE OAKS – With the Walker Fire burning thousands of acres in the Walker Ridge area, the Red Cross on Sunday evening set up a shelter for evacuees.
The shelter could become critical if winds shift and the fire moves west toward Spring Valley.
Kelseyville resident Pam Plank, the Red Cross' Lake County disaster coordinator, got the call at about 5:30 p.m. Sunday that a shelter was needed.
Lake County Sheriff's officials evacuated between 25 and 30 Double Eagle Ranch subdivision residents Sunday evening due to concerns that the fire might reach homes there.
Cal Fire reported that the blaze was estimated to have burned more than 4,000 acres by Sunday night.
By about 10:30 p.m. Sunday the shelter had had inquiries but not yet taken anyone in for the night, according to Plank.
Plank said she had seen many cars loaded up with peoples' belongings headed toward the Clearlake and Middletown areas, so she believed that most were staying with friends and family.
“We'll stay open,” she said.
The shelter could end up being filled if the fire changes directions.
Northshore Fire Battalion Chief Pat Brown said Sunday he was concerned that conditions might change overnight, with the possibility that winds from the Sacramento Valley could push the Walker Fire toward Spring Valley.
Plank said the Red Cross was prepared for the possibility that a Spring Valley evacuation could take place.
This is the first time Red Cross has used Clearlake Oaks' Station 75 for an emergency shelter, said Plank.
She had 100 cots, blankets and “comfort kits” – small individual bags of toiletries – at the shelter, with another 150 cots in storage in Lakeport.
Plank said that the cots, if they're needed, will be set up in the station's large engine bay, which had been emptied for the purpose.
In addition to the fire station, they've secured the Eastlake Grange just down the road in case more room becomes necessary.
Plank was joined at the station Sunday by several volunteers, including her son, Jeff, Robin Webster of Clearlake Oaks and Carol Bettencourt of Lucerne.
The volunteers were staying overnight at the shelter to keep it open for anyone who might need it, Plank said.
Plank is an experienced disaster coordinator with Red Cross, having worked on the emergency effort in New York after Sept. 11, 2001.
She also worked with the Red Cross during the 1996 Fork Fire, which burned more than 83,000 acres in the Mendocino National Forest and remote areas of the county. That fire forced 75 Spring Valley residents to evacuate, she said.
For information about the shelter call the fire station, 998-3294.
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Heavy smoke continued to clog Lake County's skies, with the smoke coming from fires in Mendocino County's Covelo and Anderson Valley regions, according to Cal Fire spokesperson Tracy Boudreaux.
Cal Fire reported that nearly 400 fires were burning in its units around the state, from Northern California south to Fresno and Monterey counties.
In Mendocino County, Cal Fire reported 90 fires had been reported and have burned more than 5,000 acres. The Orr Fire is 200 acres and has evacuations of the Orr Springs Resort and 20 homes in the area; the Navarro Fire is 1,400 acres and 5-percent contained; the Foster Fire is 60 acres with 0-percent containment; the Table Mountain Fire is 1,000 acres and 5-percent contained; the Mallo Pass Fire is 600 acres; and the two Juan Creek fires are at 100 acres each. Cal Fire said there are eight additional fires at 30 acres each.
In the Sonoma-Lake-Napa Cal Fire Unit, five fires had been reported burning near Napa, west of Fairfield. All but one of the fires was contained. The fire had burned 3,500 acres Sunday, and was 35-percent contained.
In the Mendocino National Forest, lightning over the weekend caused at estimated 50 fires across the forest's three ranger districts, according to Forest Service spokesperson Phebe Brown.
The largest of the fires is a 50-acre blaze on the Upper Lake Ranger District, said Brown.
Some structures in the area are threatened, she said, although there are no evacuations ordered yet. Fire equipment is on the roads and people are advised to be careful if traveling in the forest.
Most of the fires are small, and some already have been contained, Brown said.
Smoke jumpers are working on some of the larger fires, said Brown.
Containment across all of the fires is estimated at 10 percent, she said.
“We have requested more equipment and crews,” said Brown.
Although the forest has been getting much of what it's requested, Brown added, “The crews are pretty scarce.”
The push around the state was for more personnel, with officials reporting a shortage of available firefighters. Over the weekend, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger deployed the California National Guard to assist with firefighting, according to the Associated Press.
Lake County Air Pollution Control Officer Bob Reynolds reported Sunday that the fires were resulting in smoke, haze and degraded air quality for the area.
Reynolds explained that smoke is trapped in the cooler marine air layer and transported inland, causing the present smoke impacts. At times smoke can be transported to sea within a circulation cell, and then return back over Northern California in a wide band of smoke filled air.
He said the smoke and sunlight cause chemical reactions in the air that further reduces visibility by forming secondary particles aside from the smoke. These particles draw the moisture out of the air, growing in number and size, making the haze even worse.
Many areas, he said, are being affected more severely than Lake County.
He said that, although health standards have not been exceeded, levels are abnormally high, and it is suggested that persons sensitive to respiratory irritants or who have a respiratory illness stay indoors and avoid unnecessary exercise. Place air conditions on “recirculation” mode and consult your physician if you suffer from asthma or pulmonary disease, or have other health problems, and are experiencing difficulties.
Reynolds said the residual haze and particulate from the fires can be expected to continue throughout the northern part of the state until the fires are out.
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Cal Fire reported Saturday that 339 fires were burning across 12 of its units in Northern California and south to Fresno and Monterey counties, aided by this year's extremely dry conditions and, in some cases, by winds.
In Mendocino County alone, Cal Fire received more than 100 fire reports beginning at about 6 p.m. Friday and stretching through Saturday night, said Tracy Boudreaux, a fire prevention specialist with Cal Fire's Mendocino Unit.
“We're still getting reports of fires,” Boudreaux told Lake County News Saturday night, all of them resulting from lightning strikes around Mendocino County.
Total acreage estimates weren't available, although Cal Fire reported that the fires ranged in size from one to 125 acres.
Crews and equipment “from all over” – including local government, Office of Emergency Services, out-of-county Cal Fire units, some of them from as far away as Southern California – were battling the fires, said Boudreaux.
Strike teams from Cal Fire's Sonoma-Lake-Napa Unit also were on scene, she said.
Many of the lightning-sparked fires were in remote areas of the county, such as the Orr Springs area. Boudreaux said there also was an ongoing fire at Navarro, and an evacuation advisory in the Flynn Creek area, where some individual structures were threatened, not a local subdivision.
Another fire was burning in Anderson Valley near Boonville, she said.
“We're basically tapped for resources right now,” said Boudreaux.
The Associated Press reported Saturday that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger had ordered the California National Guard to assist with the firefighting effort.
Red skies loomed over the Anderson Valley and Ukiah areas Saturday, said Boudreaux. “It is overwhelming.”
Heavy smoke was visible around Lake County all day, with residents reporting that it was so thick in some areas they could no longer see Mt. Konocti.
In parts of Lakeport Saturday afternoon and evening, ash was reported falling.
Boudreaux said the smoke coming through Lake County was coming from two sources: lightning fires in Covelo and Anderson Valley.
Anderson Valley is inundated with smoke, Boudreaux said, and a marine layer of air is pushing the smoke into Lake and Sonoma counties.
In nearby Napa County, Boudreaux said lightning also sparked a fire that had reportedly burned 750 acres by Saturday night.
Boudreaux said the challenge for Cal Fire was prioritizing all of the fires in order to best use its stretched resources.
“Right now I think we're looking at several days of firefighting before we can actually get containment on most of them,” she said.
Boudreaux said Cal Fire is urging everyone to be prepared in case of fire during this busy fire season. Readiness includes having documents and personal possessions in an easy accessible location, and having plans for where to take one's family, pets and livestock.
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