KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – Firefighters continued their work overnight to contain a wildland fire burning near Kelseyville that began Saturday evening.
The Peterson fire was first reported at about 5:30 p.m. Saturday in the 9000 block of Peterson Lane at Adobe Creek Road, behind Highland Springs, according to Cal Fire.
A Saturday evening report from Cal Fire had put the Peterson fire's size at 400 acres with no containment, but that acreage estimate was cut in half later that night.
Chris Veilleux of the Cal Fire Command Center said the acreage estimate was reduced to 200 acres due to better visibility on mapping.
He said there had been no new estimate on containment on Saturday night, adding that another update on the fire's size is expected after the 7 a.m. Sunday briefing.
Cal Fire said Saturday night that approximately 210 firefighters were assigned to the incident.
Among the first calls to 911 about the incident Saturday evening came from a man who indicated his equipment had started a brush fire, according to radio reports. Numerous other people also called to report the fire.
Despite that report of a possible source for the blaze, Cal Fire said the fire's cause is remaining under investigation.
Kelseyville Fire initially was dispatched, with Lakeport Fire and Cal Fire soon responding, according to radio reports.
Within 20 minutes of the fire's initial dispatch, the call went out for an in-county strike team of three engines and two water tenders, with additional resources coming in from Lake County Fire, Northshore Fire and South Lake County Fire.
Cal Fire tankers, air attack and helicopters also hit the fire hard from above while firefighters worked on the ground.
One person was reported to have been injured, suffering burns on his hands, according to radio traffic.
Cal Fire said the fire had “a dangerous rate of spread,” with spots fires occurring a quarter of a mile ahead of the main fire.
Structures were threatened in the area, and Cal Fire Battalion Chief Greg Bertelli told Lake County News late Saturday that the Peterson Lane area was evacuated.
Winds in the area were a concern as the smoke plume built, and smoke was pushed around the county, including across the lake to the Northshore and into Clearlake.
The National Weather Service indicated later that night that south southwest winds in the fire area were between 5 and 8 miles per hour.
Bertelli, who also confirmed the revised 200-acre size estimate, said firefighters were going to continue working aggressively on the fire through the night.
Among those working to get a line around the fire overnight were a number of dozer operators, including privately owned dozers that were brought in to work on the incident, according to radio reports.
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Firefighters continue work overnight on Peterson fire
- Elizabeth Larson
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