Effort to stop Mendocino Complex grows; city of Lakeport declares state of emergency
- Elizabeth Larson
- Posted On
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Firefighters, law enforcement, and local and state leaders were continuing their work on Sunday to protect Lake County from the destructive impacts of its latest wildland fires.
The Ranch and River fires, now combined into the Mendocino Complex, began burning Friday afternoon in Mendocino County before moving into Lake County.
The complex had grown to 30,500 acres by Sunday night, with containment at 10 percent and six structures destroyed.
With the fires threatening more than 10,000 homes, a series of mandatory and advisory evacuations have caused tens of thousands of Lake County residents to leave their homes as the fires bore down on Lakeport and Upper Lake.
As the fires continued to burn through thick vegetation, the smoke billowed into enormous columns in the sky.
In the case of the Ranch fire, reaching Upper Lake on Sunday, the column resembled boiling thunderclouds stacked on top of each other.
For much of the day, thick smoke obscured the sun, turning it a blood red, and at night, the moon turned bright red, too, due to the smoke-clogged atmosphere.
Air conditions prompted the Lake County Air Quality Management District on Sunday to issue an alert for “unhealthy” to “very unhealthy” conditions throughout Lake County with localized areas reaching “hazardous” levels due to particulate.
The River fire’s approach to the Lakeport, the county seat, and its full evacuation has had numerous impacts, including closure of the Lake County Superior Court, and county and city offices; the evacuation of Sutter Lakeside Hospital and Evergreen Lakeport Healthcare; temporary shuttering of the Lakeport Senior Center; as well as closure of numerous businesses.
The Ranch fire likewise has shuttered businesses and facilities, including the the Mendocino National Forest’s Upper Lake district, and the complex as a whole causing numerous road closures, including Highway 175 over the Hopland Grade and Highway 20 from the junction of Highway 29 to Highway 101.
Both fires also are believed to have been connected to the cause for power outages impacting thousands of people along the Northshore, officials reported.
More resources join the effort
As with other major wildland fire incident, this one has required the assistance of multiple units from around the region.
There were California Highway Patrol officers from Garberville guarding roads around Upper Lake, Clearlake Public Works personnel staffing the road closure on Lakeport Boulevard at Hamburger Hill, and firefighters from numerous communities around the state on the fire lines.
Cal Fire said nearly 1,400 firefighters are now assigned to the incident.
On Sunday afternoon, firefighters were working at a number of locations in and around the city of Lakeport and on the Northshore.
With Highway 175 over Hopland closed, fire crews were staged along the highway and working to stop the fire from further advancing toward the city.
Supervisor Rob Brown, who has been throughout the fire area since it began, said they had made progress that day on the fire’s progress along the highway, noting conditions also appeared to have improved because the wind conditions had changed and were more in firefighters’ favor.
Back down the hill, in the Sandy Lane area behind Lakeport, dozers were working the area and a firing operation also took place.
One dozer operator was reported to have been injured on the lines nearby and flown to an out-of-county trauma center.
Property owner Allen Keithly ran his own bulldozer throughout the day on Sunday to cut fire line while the fire crept through the grass nearby. He had refused to leave his land and decided he would keep working there instead.
At the nearby subdivision next to Westside Community Park, dozers had cut lines in vacant fields and equipment was staged to protect homes as flames burned brush on nearby hilltops.
Planes and helicopters flew over the city throughout the day, with the planes making retardant drops on in locations including along Scotts Creek Road, with dozers also cutting more protective line.
On Scotts Valley Road, residents were wetting down rooftops, trying to secure their properties and preparing to leave if the couldn’t defend their homes.
City officials issue emergency proclamation
With the exception of the firefighters, law enforcement and city officials, the city of Lakeport was deserted and eerily silent on Sunday evening.
Library Park was empty save for sets of this year’s Shakespeare at the Lake production which had been planned for this weekend but canceled due to the evacuations.
Across the street in City Hall, city officials were at work in their own incident command center, with the building being powered by generators due to ongoing power outages.
Lakeport City Manager Margaret Silveira, her department heads, police administrative staff and Public Works staff, as well as Clearlake Public Works Director Doug Herren and new Clearlake Police Chief Andrew White, were monitoring the situation.
State Sen. Mike McGuire was working his way around the county on Sunday, stopping to check in on Silveira and her staff as well as accompanying Brown to the fire scene and to visit some of the evacuation shelters.
On Saturday, Gov. Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency due to the fires, and on Sunday night after McGuire’s visit the city of Lakeport issued an emergency proclamation due to the River fire, which resulted in a full mandatory evacuation of the city on Sunday afternoon.
County officials worked at a separate emergency operations center next door to the Lake County Jail.
Ranch fire advances; more shelters open
The Ranch fire, now the biggest of the Mendocino Complex’s two fires, was pushing closer to Upper Lake on Sunday night.
The fire was moving over hillsides near the junction of Highway 20 and Highway 29.
The Ranch fire had by nightfall advanced as far as an area off of Elk Mountain Road and Rancheria Road, on a hillside above Dewell Road Extension as well as an area near young walnut orchards. Brown believed the orchards would help control the spread of the fire.
The fire was giving off thick smoke and ash that clogged the air of the Northshore miles away.
Radio traffic indicated that the fire area off Elk Mountain Road was a primary work location for firefighters overnight.
Meanwhile, with thousands of people displaced from their homes, Cal Fire reported on Sunday night that five shelters were open for Lake County evacuees: Mountain Vista Middle School, 5081 Konocti Road, Kelseyville; Kelseyville Elementary School, 5065 Konocti Road; Kelseyville High School, 5480 Main St.; Lower Lake High School, 9430 Lake St.; and Twin Pine Casino, 22223 Highway 29, Middletown.
At the Kelseyville High School shelter on Sunday night, shelter staff reported that 57 people had checked in.
Cots were set up in the gymnasium, which was being cooled by large fans.
Some of the evacuees looked exhausted, others seemed bewildered and struggled to make themselves comfortable in the situation.
At Mountain Vista Middle School, another 75 to 80 people were sheltering, officials said.
McGuire talked with shelter managers about needs – such as snacks, coffee and baby formula – and coordinated with state Office of Emergency Services officials for delivery of items on Monday.
Cal Fire estimates the complex will be fully contained on Aug. 6.
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.