LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The superintendent of the Konocti Unified School District said schools in Lower Lake were closed on Thursday and will remain so on Friday as a result of the Cache fire.
Konocti Unified reopened for classes on Monday. Just two days later, shortly after 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday, the Cache fire erupted in Clearlake, swiftly moving into parts of Lower Lake.
On Thursday evening, officials said damage assessments so far have found the 83-acre fire destroyed 56 homes, 81 outbuildings and 158 vehicles.
The fire, at that point about 40% contained, damaged utility infrastructure. On Thursday evening, 105 customers in the fire area along Dam Road were still out of power, Pacific Gas and Electric reported.
Evacuation orders also remained in place for portions of Lower Lake and Clearlake on Thursday night.
The Cache fire, hit by strong winds, threw numerous spot fires, some of them burning close to Lower Lake Elementary School and Lower Lake High School.
The fire’s proximity — there were reports that it burned on school property near the site of facilities that had burned in the Clayton fire — necessitated the evacuation of students.
Officials said students were evacuated by 2 p.m. Wednesday and transported by bus to Haverty Field at Austin Park in Clearlake.
Superintendent Dr. Becky Salato said the district evacuated 1,500 students and 200 staff “very successfully.”
In a message to parents, Dr. Salato said there was no structural damage to any of our schools.
She said Lower Lake High School, Lower Lake Elementary School, Carle Continuation High School, Blue Heron and Highlands Academy were closed on Thursday and would remain closed on Friday.
From Friday through Sunday, staff will deep clean the interiors of the school buildings. Salato said that work includes cleaning and disinfecting horizontal surfaces, hepa-vacuuming carpets, cleaning and disinfecting bathrooms, and changing HVAC filters.
The goal, said Salato, was to have students back in class in Lower Lake on Monday.
She said all of the district’s other schools will remain open on Friday.
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.
Lower Lake schools to be closed Friday in wake of Cache fire
- Elizabeth Larson
- Posted On