LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Firefighters are bracing for a forecasted weather change that could bring a shift in winds on the front lines of the Rocky fire on Tuesday.
Cal Fire said Tuesday morning that the fire has consumed 65,000 acres and is 12-percent contained.
The agency said no new size estimates on the incident are expected until Tuesday evening.
Highway 20 remains closed from Highway 53 to Interstate 5 in Williams because of the fire, with 6,959 structures remaining threatened. Mandatory evacuations and advisory evacuations remain in place.
Firefighters continued to work steadily through the night, building fire lines and protecting communities in the fire's path.
Overnight there were no additional structures burned, according to Cal Fire spokesman Steve Swindle.
The count of destroyed structures remains at 50, a tally which includes 24 residences and 26 outbuildings, Cal Fire said.
A change in the weather is bringing cooler temperatures and some favorable conditions, but there also are concerns that the lower pressure system moving into the area could create an unstable atmosphere, said Swindle.
The National Weather Service is predicting some light rain over Lake County throughout Tuesday afternoon.
Swindle said the weather change comes with a prediction of winds possibly shifting and coming from the east, which would blow the fire toward the west, which is where the city of Clearlake is located in relation to the fire.
On Tuesday morning, the Board of Supervisors unanimously ratified an emergency declaration issued on Thursday by County Administrative Officer Matt Perry.
Cal Fire Division Chief Scott Lindgren, the Rocky fire incident commander, updated the board on Tuesday morning on the fire situation.
Lindgren said the main concern for the day is the west side of the fire, which he called the No. 1 priority.
He said incident command has shifted forces to the fire's west side to keep it out of Clearlake and Lower Lake, with firefighters concentrating on keeping those communities near the fire safe.
The fire jumped Highway 20 on Monday afternoon, with spot fires crossing between the Spring Valley and Double Eagle Ranch subdivisions, Swindle said.
The spot fires caused the Lake County Sheriff's Office to issue a second mandatory evacuation for Spring Valley and Double Eagle, as Lake County News has reported.
Lindgren told the board that by Tuesday morning the fire had burned 3,000 acres on the north side of Highway 20 by that point.
“We're going to do our best to put this fire out just as quick as we can,” said Lindgren.
Sheriff Brian Martin reported to the board that sheriffs in neighboring counties have been sending over personnel and search and rescue resources to assist with the process of going door-to-door to notify people of mandatory evacuations and evacuation advisories.
Martin said local agencies are ready to move people out of Clearlake if the fire moves that direction.
He asked community members to take notifications seriously – whether to evacuate immediately or to be prepared in the case it's necessary.
That's important because of the fire's unpredictable nature, Martin said. “It's doing what it wants to do.”
Resources dedicated to the fire on Tuesday morning include approximately 3,205 personnel, 301 fire engines, 80 fire crews, 57 dozers, 40 water tenders, 19 helicopters and four air tankers.
The Lake County Air Quality Management District said air quality conditions in the county are anticipated to improve through Tuesday due to the weather forecast.
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Rocky fire: Firefighters gear up for possible Tuesday wind shift
- Elizabeth Larson
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