LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – On Friday authorities lifted the remaining Sulphur fire evacuations for residents of Clearlake and Clearlake Oaks as firefighters continued their push to fully contain the incident.
Cal Fire’s end-of-day report on the fire, burning since early Monday morning, put the containment up to 60 percent, with the size remaining at 2,500 acres.
Conditions had improved enough in the Sulphur fire area on Friday afternoon that the Lake County Sheriff’s Office and the city of Clearlake were able to lift the remaining evacuations hours ahead of schedule.
The Sulphur fire is being managed by Cal Fire’s Incident Management Team 4 as part of the Mendocino Lake Complex, which also includes the Redwood fire in Redwood and Potter valleys.
Cal Fire said the Redwood fire, which also began on Monday, was at 34,000 acres with 20 percent containment on Friday night. Eight deaths have been confirmed in that incident so far.
One thousand structures remain threatened on the complex, and 314 homes and 167 minor structures have been destroyed by both fires, according to Cal Fire.
Officials have reported 168 structures – including 136 residences – were destroyed in the Sulphur fire alone, as Lake County News has reported. A map of the destroyed properties is below.
Cal Fire said resources assigned to the entire two-county complex include 2,230 personnel, 134 engines, 24 water tenders, 15 helicopters, 64 hand crews and 40 bulldozers.
The entire Mendocino Lake Complex is expected to be contained by Nov. 1, Cal Fire said.
Other large fire incidents continue to actively burn in neighboring Napa and Sonoma counties.
The Southern LNU Complex in Napa and Solano counties has burned 48,228 acres and is 45-percent contained. Cal Fire said it has destroyed 234 structures and is threatening another 5,000.
Resources committed to the Southern LNU Complex include 1,724 personnel, 172 engines, 18 water tenders, 21 helicopters, 24 hand crews and 23 dozers.
The Central LNU Complex burning in Napa and Sonoma counties since Sunday night has burned 92,370 acres and resulted in 17 deaths, according to Cal Fire.
That incident includes the Tubbs fire, 35,270 acres and 44-percent contained; the Pocket fire, 10,996 acres and 5-percent contained; and the Nuns fire, 46,104 acres and 10 percent contained.
Cal Fire said that group of fires is threatening 33,943 structures and has so far destroyed 2,107.
There are approximately 2,901 firefighting personnel, 321 engines, 43 water tenders, 12 helicopters, six air tankers, 59 hand crews and 62 dozers working that complex, Cal Fire reported.
Full containment on the Central LNU Complex is estimated to take place by Oct. 20, based on Cal Fire’s Friday report.
The causes of all of the region’s fires remain under investigation, Cal Fire said.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
Sulphur fire’s containment rises, remaining evacuations lifted
- Elizabeth Larson
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