- Elizabeth Larson
- Posted On
Valley fire: Officials say 400 homes destroyed, one reported casualty
Vehicles and structures were destroyed on Summit Drive in Cobb, Calif., as a result of the Valley fire. Photographed Sunday, September 13, 2015. Photo by Elizabeth Larson/Lake County News.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Thousands more burned acres, additional evacuations, the first damage assessments and the report of a death in the fire area were among the latest developments on Sunday arising from the devastating Valley fire that has swept through Lake County.
Daylight on Sunday brought a clearer picture of the devastation wrought by the Valley fire, which was sparked on Saturday afternoon on High Valley Road in Cobb before burning into Middletown and Cobb.
By day's end, Cal Fire's damage assessments had revealed that 400 homes had been destroyed by the fire – which at that point was 50,000 acres with no containment – and an unknown number of other types of structures also burned.
There also was a report of a civilian fatality in the fire area that Cal Fire said law enforcement is investigating.
On Sunday morning, Gov. Jerry Brown issued declared a state of emergency for Lake County because of the fire, as Lake County News has reported.
The fire resulted in an estimated 10,000 people being evacuated by early Sunday, with thousands more evacuated from the Clear Lake Riviera and Riviera West later on Sunday morning.
Fire conditions prompted all of Lake County's public schools to close on Monday, citing the priority of keeping students, families, teachers and staff safe, according to the Lake County Office of Education.
Destroyed structures on Wardlaw Street in Middletown, Calif., that were burned by the Valley fire. Photographed Sunday, September 13, 2015. Photo by Elizabeth Larson/Lake County News.
The sky over Lake County continued to be darkened with a heavy gray haze due to the fire's smoke, which for much of the day had an almost twilight appearance.
The smoky conditions prompted the Lake County Air Quality Management District to issue an air quality alert of hazardous air conditions.
Conditions from Sunday afternoon into Monday were reported to be unhealthy or hazardous, according to Air Pollution Control Officer Doug Gearhart.
“With the size of this fire, all areas of Lake County are affected by these conditions,” Gearhart said.
Areas closer to the fires may experience hazardous or worse air quality due to the high levels of fine particulates from the smoke, Gearhart said.
With so many people evacuated from their homes and dispersing to shelters or the homes and families and friends, there was confusion and rampant speculation about the extent of the damage in the communities where the fire burned.
An apartment complex on Highway 175 at Barnes Street in Middletown, Calif., was burned by the Valley fire. Photographed Sunday, September 13, 2015. Photo by Elizabeth Larson/Lake County News.
A drive through the fire area on Sunday offered a glimpse of how much damage the fire had done, but it also make clear what areas of the south county had survived the fire.
Highway 29 between Lower Lake and Hidden Valley Lake had spots of fire burning alongside of it on hillsides and in trees.
Closer in to Hidden Valley Lake and Middletown, there were sagging and burning power lines, transformers hanging by lines and broken poles.
Along the highway, no active flames were seen on Sunday afternoon in the Hidden Valley Lake area. Earlier in the day, radio reports had indicated that officials were letting in Hidden Valley Lake Community Services District staff to turn back on the community's water hydrants.
At least a half-dozen burned out vehicles were to be seen along the highway between Hidden Valley Lake and Middletown.
Along Highway 175 from Middletown to Cobb, a dead sorrel horse laid on the roadside, where it appeared to have been hit. A man was crouching over it, taking pictures.
In Middletown itself, the downtown appeared largely undamaged except for a florist's shop.
The historic main lodge of Hoberg's Resort in Cobb, Calif., was destroyed by the Valley fire on Saturday, September 12, 2015. Photographed Sunday, September 13, 2015. Photo by Elizabeth Larson/Lake County News.
The campuses at Middletown High School and Minnie Cannon Elementary appeared unharmed, and the Lake County International Charter School was unscathed, standing across from the historic Middletown United Methodist Church, which also was undamaged.
However, the residential areas a few blocks on either side of the downtown and Highway 29 had widespread damage.
In some areas, blocks of homes were all right, in other areas, such as Wardlaw at Jackson, numerous homes were reduced to haunting, smoky, jagged ruins.
From Middletown to Cobb, the damage also was substantial, with homes along Highway 175 burned, and trees and power poles also damaged and leaning or falling along the roadway.
The damage off the highway appeared to lessen in areas such as Maple Shadows and Whispering Pines, and in Cobb there was good news – the business district appeared unscathed.
Hardester's Market, the Brick Oven, the Village Pub, the post office and fire station, Mountain High Coffee, the gas station and a host of other businesses in the area were still standing.
Down the road, Cobb Elementary School also had been spared.
And then there was Hoberg's Resort, its historic main lodge – which over the last several years had been undergoing renovation – burned to the ground.
Gretchen Wildman and her dog, Daisy, waited at Kit's Corner in Kelseyville, Calif., on Sunday, September 13, 2015, after having been evacuated due to the Valley fire earlier in the day. Photo by Elizabeth Larson/Lake County News.
Plumes of smoke still rose off of the pile of ash and stone that had once been a premier Northern California resort, hosting the likes of actor Clark Gable, musician Tommy Dorsey and a line of California governors.
“My prayers go out to everyone in Lake County who has lost their homes. The historical Hoberg's Resort is no longer and all of us who spent years in planning and developing the resort for a grand opening beginning of next year are devastated by its loss,” Dan Nelson, the resort’s vice president, told Lake County News.
“We are dedicated to rebuilding Hoberg's and providing Lake County and Cobb Mountain with a new resort that everyone can be proud of in the future,” Nelson said.
Across the highway from the resort, homes had burned, and further down the highway homes on Summit and Sugar Pine drives were destroyed.
Loch Lomond fared better, with the Loch Lomond Roadhouse, the nearby firehouse and other buildings intact.
The area from Loch Lomond down to Highway 29 also appeared undamaged.
On Highway 29 at Highway 281, the intersection was controlled traffic.
Sheriff's deputies and California Highway Patrol officers were staged in the area throughout the day following the evacuations of the Rivieras earlier in the day.
Lt. Chris Chwialkowski of the Lake County Sheriff's Office said the Valley fire at that point had not moved into the Rivieras, but instead was staying in the area of Seigler Mountain.
Due to the possibility that the fire could reach the Rivieras, he said it had been important to get residents out of the area ahead of time, otherwise it could have been chaotic trying to move so many people out in a short period of time.
“It flowed out of here really nice,” he said of the traffic.
Gretchen Wildman and her husband, Darryll Fletcher, were among those evacuated that morning.
Wildman said she was awakened by a phone call from her sister, telling her they needed to evacuate.
“That's when I heard the sheriffs,” she said, recounting sheriff's deputies driving through the neighborhoods with a PA system to tell residents they needed to leave their homes.
She said they grabbed their dog Daisy and some belongings and left, ending up spending much of the day at Kit's Corner.
Wildman said Sunday evening they were planning to stay there as long as they could. “We're just going to wait it out and see when we can go home.”
Scott Freeman of Ukiah, Calif., and his dog, Buddy, came to Kelseyville, Calif., on Sunday, September 13, 2015, to help evacuate community members forced to evacuate earlier that day due to the Valley fire. Photo by Elizabeth Larson/Lake County News.
Nearby, Ukiah resident Scott Freeman said he had waited for several hours to see if he could help evacuate area residents.
Freeman said he didn't know anyone living in the Rivieras, but had come over to offer his assistance.
He brought with him his pickup, a trailer, water and his dog, Buddy.
Chwialkowki said the sheriff's deputies who had been staged at Kit's Corner on Sunday were preparing to move to a command post at the Lake County Fairgrounds in Lakeport, where he said Cal Fire, the Lake County Office of Emergency Services and other agencies would be stationed.
Cal Fire said resources assigned to the fire on Sunday included 1,448 personnel, 157 engines, 53 water tenders, 40 hand crews, 16 dozers, 10 helicopters and four air tankers.
As of late Sunday night, evacuations remained in effect for Bottle Rock Road, High Valley Road, Highway 175 in Cobb, Highway 29 from Tubbs Lane in Napa County to the intersection of Highway 29 and Highway 53 in Lower Lake, Butts Canyon Road to the Napa County line including Berryessa Estates, as well as the communities of Cobb, Seigler Canyon, Loch Lomond, Middletown and Hidden Valley Lake.
Road closures remained in effect for Highway 29 at Bottle Rock Road, Highway 29 at Highway 175 in Kelseyville, Highway 29 at Red Hills Road, and Highway 29 from the intersection with Highway 53 in Lower Lake to Tubbs Lane in Calistoga.
In response to the fire, county officials have launched an online fundraising campaign to help those affected by the fires. Donations can be made at http://www.lakecountylac.com/donate-now.html .
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.