LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Cal Fire said Saturday night that firefighters did another good day’s work on containing the fires in the Mendocino Lake Complex, while at the same time the acreage estimate for the Sulphur fire was reduced.
The Mendocino Lake Complex is composed of the Sulphur fire, burning since Monday morning in Clearlake and Clearlake Oaks, and the Redwood fire, which also began Monday morning in Redwood and Potter Valleys.
On Saturday night, Cal fire said significant progress had been made over the previous 24 hours in the effort to contain both of the fires in the complex.
The complex’s size reached just over 37,200 acres by nightfall Saturday with 32-percent containment, Cal Fire said.
As part of that overall number, the Sulphur fire’s size was reduced from 2,500 acres to approximately 2,207 acres to reflect more accurate mapping, with the fire’s containment up to 70 percent, Cal Fire said.
The Redwood fire’s acreage was at 35,000 acres, with containment at 30 percent. Cal Fire said the Redwood Fire continues to present challenges as resources actively mop up and
extinguish hotspots around structures. However, officials said the fire’s southwest perimeter continues to hold.
The number of deaths in the Redwood fire remains at eight, Cal Fire said.
Eight hundred structures are still threatened, Cal Fire said, while 410 single-family residences have been destroyed. Of those, 136 are in Lake County, according to a local damage assessment report.
Cal Fire said the resources assigned to the complex on Saturday included 2,415 personnel, 143 engines, 31 water tenders, 16 helicopters, 69 hand crews and 50 dozers.
As of Saturday night, Cal Fire said there were approximately 2,000 evacuees from the Redwood Fire, while the last of the evacuation orders in Lake County were lifted on Friday.
The entire complex is expected to be contained by Nov. 1, Cal Fire said.
Officials said the cause of the complex’s fires remains under investigation.
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Firefighters make significant progress on Mendocino Lake Complex; Sulphur fire acreage reduced
- Elizabeth Larson
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