LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Over the past two days firefighters from local agencies and Cal Fire have swiftly responded to and controlled several small fires around Lake County.
The fires on Tuesday and Wednesday were primarily vegetation fires, according to radio reports.
On Tuesday at around 9:45 p.m. a fire was reported in the area of Morine Ranch Road at Morine Way, off Highway 20 in Clearlake Oaks.
Northshore Fire and Cal Fire responded to the incident, finding a vehicle on fire and several small spot fires, based on reports from the scene.
The final report from incident command indicated that just over an acre burned between the main fire and the largest spot fire.
Then, on Wednesday, shortly after noon, a small vegetation fire was reported on Cache Creek Way, on the west side of Highway 53 at the Dam Road intersection in Clearlake, according to Lake County Fire Protection District Chief Willie Sapeta.
Sapeta said his agency and Cal Fire sent a total of four engines, a medic unit, a helicopter and a company officer to the incident.
He said they quickly placed line around the spot, estimated to be about 20 feet by 50 feet in size.
“We’re pretty lucky we kept it at bay,” Sapeta said, noting that it had potential to grow.
Sapeta said the fire’s cause remains under investigation. It may have been a mechanical failure on a vehicle, but they’re not sure yet.
Just before 4 p.m. Wednesday, there was a report of a vehicle fire that had spread into vegetation on Highway 29 near Robert Louis Stevenson State Park.
Reports from the scene stated that the fire was knocked down within 10 minutes of the call.
Later, just before 7:30 p.m., a fire was reported in the 3100 block of Hendricks Road near Lakeport.
Lakeport Fire and Cal Fire arrived on scene a short time later, finding a tree into power lines. People on scene already had contained the spot by the time units got to the area, where power was cut while power utility repairs were made.
The last fire incident of the night occurred just before 10 p.m., when there was the report of a structure fire at Edgewater Resort in Kelseyville.
Kelseyville Fire and Cal Fire arrived to find the fire extinguished by locals, with no spread to the wildland.
Sapeta said that over the last few years, fire agencies around Lake County have been increasing and augmenting their responses to fire calls, and rolling out more resources immediately.
“We’ve all kind of ramped up countywide,” he said.
He said firefighters around the county are ready for the hot temperatures coupled with the many activities set to take place during this upcoming holiday weekend.
“We’re ready for it,” Sapeta said.
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Firefighters respond to small fires around Lake County; resources ready for holiday weekend
- Elizabeth Larson
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