How to resolve AdBlock issue? 
News
- Details
- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
The Forest Service said the lightning-caused complex – burning for three weeks across the Mendocino National Forest – has burned 471,185 acres, with containment unchanged at 24 percent.
That makes it the largest wildland fire incident in California, surpassing the 2018 Mendocino Complex – which also burned through the Mendocino National Forest and other parts of Colusa, Glenn, Lake and Mendocino counties – by nearly 12,000 acres.
The Forest Service will host a virtual community meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday on the Mendocino National Forest Facebook page to discuss developments on the complex.
Katy Hooper, a public information officer on the complex, told Lake County News that the acreage estimate given on Thursday includes the Hull, Doe, Tatham and Glade fires.
Between Wednesday and Thursday, the reported size of the complex had grown by 99,000 acres.
“We were hindered yesterday to get into the field to provide better acreage numbers due to the winds and weather, which did not best reflect yesterday's acreage,” Hooper said.
Hooper said the new acreage estimate does not include the Hopkins fire, now being managed as part of the Elkhorn fire, which the US Forest Service said is 255,309 acres.
The Forest Service’s Thursday report on the complex said northeast winds continued through most of the day Wednesday and there was significant fire spread from increased fire activity on the west side of the fire, with heavy smoke production across the area.
The Lake County Air Quality Management District attributed heavy smoke in the county’s air basin on Wednesday to the August Complex and other fires around the region.
Due to significant winds, the fire quickly crossed the Black Butte River, continuing beyond the M1 Road late Tuesday. Early Wednesday morning, crews assessed activity on the fire, which the Forest Service said had become established in the Yuki Wilderness, as well as private lands to the north and west of the wilderness.
Despite firefighter preparation and efforts, there were structures burned during the rapid-fire growth over the last two days. The Forest Service said the number of structures is unknown at this time.
With the strong winds on Wednesday, the fire progressed beyond the Eel River. Firefighters will continue to work with Cal Fire on containment lines on the west side of the fire Thursday, the Forest Service said.
Officials said there was less fire spread in the Monkey Rock area than on the rest of the complex. The Forest Service said crews also will continue to work to contain that area.
Warm and dry conditions with a lot of smoke will last into the weekend. Winds will be variable with gusts up to 18 miles per hour, the Forest Service reported.
Evacuation orders remain in effect for multiple counties, with officials directing people to their specific sheriff’s office for more information.
In Lake County, evacuation orders remain in effect for Pillsbury Ranch and the entire Lake Pillsbury basin.
The Great Basin Incident Management Team will assume command of the fire at 6 a.m. Friday, the Forest Service said. The Southern Area Blue Team Incident Team has been overseeing the complex since Aug. 27.
Daily updates can be found on the Mendocino National Forest Facebook page and on InciWeb.
For specific cabin access-related questions, call the Mendocino National Forest office at 530-934-3316.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
- Details
- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
The meeting will be held at 1 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 10, in the board chambers at the Lake County Courthouse, 255 N. Forbes St., Lakeport.
The meeting can be watched live on Channel 8, online at https://countyoflake.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx and on the county’s Facebook page. Accompanying board documents, the agenda and archived board meeting videos also are available at that link.
To participate in real-time, join the Zoom meeting at 9 a.m. The meeting ID is 973 3992 5981, password 894908.
To submit a written comment on any agenda item please visit https://countyoflake.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx and click on the eComment feature linked to the meeting date. If a comment is submitted after the meeting begins, it may not be read during the meeting but will become a part of the record.
Dr. Gary Pace issued the declaration, which cites the potential for toxic exposures that pose a public health threat in the aftermath of the LNU Lightning Complex wildfire. He said a declaration is required to help mitigate this threat by prohibiting the unsafe removal, transport and disposal of fire debris.
On Wednesday night, Cal Fire reported that the LNU Lightning Complex – burning since Aug. 17 – was up to 93 percent containment.
Cal Fire said Wednesday that better mapping had resulted in the complex’s acreage being adjusted down by nearly 12,000 acres to a total of 363,220 acres. That ranks it the fourth-largest wildland fire incident in California history.
Two of the three fires ahead of it – the 459,123-acre Mendocino Complex in 2018 and the 372,012-acre August Complex now burning in the Mendocino National Forest – both burned in Lake County.
The portion of the complex that burned in Lake County is the Hennessey fire, 305,651 acres and 93-percent contained, Cal Fire said.
Cal Fire’s damage assessments for the complex have tallied 1,491 structures destroyed and 232 damaged. Of those, nine are Lake County structures – eight of them homes – that have been destroyed. Neighboring counties have taken the brunt of the structure loss.
More than 1,000 firefighters remain assigned to the complex, according to Cal Fire’s Wednesday night report.
Residents seeking more information related to community disaster resources should access the local recovery website.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
- Details
- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
On Wednesday, the US Forest Service said the complex – which has been burning for three weeks – had grown to 372,012 acres, with containment remaining at 24 percent.
The Forest Services said that acreage total does not reflect the 49,887-acre Hopkins fire in the Yolla Bolly-Middle Eel Wilderness, which on Wednesday transitioned to the management of the California Type 1 Incident Management Team No. 5.
The August Complex is now the third-largest wildland fire in California history, behind the 2018 459,123-acre Mendocino Complex – which burned across Lake, Mendocino, Colusa and Glenn counties, including acreage in the Mendocino National Forest – and the 396,624-acre SCU Lightning Complex now burning on the Central Coast, according to state fire records.
The complex is among the wildland fires sending massive amounts of smoke into Lake County’s air basin, where the sky was a dark sepia tone on Wednesday.
The Forest Service said the high temperatures and gusty winds on Tuesday increased fire activity throughout the complex, moving the fire beyond the Government Flat and Mendocino Pass areas east of the Black Butte River.
Structure protection operations were conducted for many homes on Tuesday. On Wednesday, firefighters were staged to protect more structures due to the continuing winds. Crews also worked on a spot fire detected on the northeast side of the complex in the Riley Ridge area.
Because of the complex’s steady growth, officials said evacuation orders remain in effect for areas in Glenn, Lake and Mendocino counties.
In Lake County, the evacuation area covers Pillsbury Ranch and the entire Lake Pillsbury basin.
Daily updates can be found on the Mendocino National Forest Facebook page and on InciWeb.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
- Details
- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – As hundreds of thousands of acres of land burn across California and Oregon, more smoke and haze have moved into the Lake County air basin, continuing hazardous air conditions for residents.
The Lake County Air Quality Management District said all areas of Lake County are forecast to have air quality conditions ranging from “unhealthy for sensitive groups” to “unhealthy” and “very unhealthy” through Thursday.
Overall conditions should remain in the “unhealthy for sensitive groups” range with periods of “unhealthy” air quality until the smoke plumes shift, the district reported.
The air district said the smoke impacts in Lake County and the rest of the state are coming from the August Complex in the Mendocino National Forest, which was up to 372,012 acres on Wednesday; the 863-acre Oak fire near Willits; the 252,163-acre North Complex burning in the Plumas National Forest; the Red Salmon Complex, which has burned 71,610 acres in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest; and any other fires in Northern California and Oregon.
Officials said areas in Lake County that are closer to the fires, including Lake Pillsbury, Spring Valley and areas north of the Highway 20 corridor, should use additional caution as localized smoke impacts may be significant until the fires are completely out.
The LNU Lightning Complex in Colusa, Lake, Napa, Solano, Sonoma and Yolo counties, is nearing full containment, which has significantly reduced the smoke impact, the air district said.
On Wednesday, the smoke impacts colored the sky over Lake County an orangish-brown, with air quality and visibility so poor that drivers were using headlights early in the afternoon and streetlights came on hours earlier as if it were already evening.
The National Weather Service’s Sacramento office said Wednesday that the thick smoke across Northern California resulted in temperatures being as much as 30 degrees cooler than forecast in some locations.
In Lake County, the National Weather Service said temperatures were up to 14 degrees cooler than expected.
Email Elizabeth Larson at