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LCSO Advisory: Traffic Advisory for Sulphur Fire Area
Workers are still in the area working and may have traffic control. Please be cautious of these workers.
Friday, 20 September 2024
News
Workers are still in the area working and may have traffic control. Please be cautious of these workers.
- Elizabeth Larson
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Air quality alert issued for continuing poor conditions
The Lake County Air Quality Management District issued the air quality alert due to smoke and haze currently visible through areas of Lake County.
Air Pollution Control Officer Doug Gearhart said the smoke and haze are primarily the result of the Tubbs fire in Napa and Sonoma counties, the Atlas and Partrick fires in Napa County, the Nuns fire and Pocket fires in Sonoma County, the Redwood Complex fire in Mendocino County, and localized impacts from the Sulphur fire in Lake County.
Other active fires in Northern California may add to the smoke impacts in Lake County, Gearhart said.
The “unhealthy for everyone” air quality alert results from the forecast for continued high levels of smoke, the extended smoke impacts, and impacts from other air pollutants in the smoke lingering in Lake County until conditions change, according to Gearhart’s report.
Gearhart said the district is actively monitoring the smoke impacts.
He said current particulate levels in Lake County are in the “unhealthy” range in many areas with short periods of improved air quality since late afternoon on Monday.
The highest levels of smoke are expected to continue through the weekend, though the models indicate winds could significantly improve air quality in Lake County, he said. With the expected winds, fire activity may increase, increasing smoke levels in the county.
Gearhart said all areas may experience “unhealthy” air quality, and individuals should take precautions. The smoke is expected to remain in Lake County through the weekend, though there may be periods of improved air quality as the winds shift through the next few days.
Smoky conditions can cause irritation of the eyes, nose and air passages. These conditions can be hazardous for sensitive individuals including young children, the elderly, individuals with heart conditions, and those with chronic lung disease such as asthma, bronchitis and other respiratory conditions.
Individuals with asthma, bronchitis, emphysema and other lung or heart diseases should carefully adhere to their medical treatment plans and maintain at least a five-day supply of prescribed medications. They should limit outdoor activity and unnecessary physical exertion. Air conditioning that recirculates indoor air should be used, when available. Drinking plenty of water to avoid drying of the airways is recommended, unless restricted for medical reasons.
Dust masks are not protective against the ultrafine particulate, which is the pollutant most detrimental to health caused by wildfire smoke.
Air purifying respirators, such as N-95 filtering face pieces, may be effective in reducing some of the harmful particulate matter, but they also increase the work of breathing, can lead to physiologic stress, and are not recommended as a general protective measure.
With air quality forecast to be in the “unhealthy” range, people are recommended to use caution, avoid strenuous activity, avoid outdoor activities when possible, and reduce other sources of air pollution (such as smoking, use of aerosol products, frying or broiling meats, burning candles, vacuuming, etc.) and be prepared for rapidly changing conditions.
Localized areas of very unhealthy or hazardous air quality, regional haze and particulate from these fires can be expected until the regional fires are fully contained and the weather pattern shifts to clear the smoke. Take appropriate measures until the smoke clears.
- Elizabeth Larson
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Sheriff’s office monitors Tubbs fire; no immediate threat to Middletown
MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – While the Tubbs fire continues its approach to southern Lake County, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office said Thursday afternoon that there is still no immediate threat to Middletown.
The Tubbs fire, burning in Napa and Sonoma counties since Sunday night, has so far burned 34,270 acres and is 10-percent contained, according to Cal Fire’s Thursday report.
The Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office on Thursday afternoon reported that the Tubbs fire’s death toll has reached 14.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office issued an advisory evacuation because of the fire’s approach on Wednesday morning, as Lake County News has reported.
Early Thursday morning, south county residents reported seeing flames cresting the hilltops across the county line.
However, the sheriff’s office said it is closely monitoring the Tubbs fire and, while the fire is very active, officials emphasized there is still no immediate threat to the Middletown area.
The sheriff’s office said it is receiving regular updates regarding the Tubbs fire’s activity, as well as that of the Pocket fire near Geyserville in Sonoma County, which has more than doubled to 8.130 acres over the past day.
Additional alerts will be sent out if at any time there is an immediate threat to the Middletown area, the sheriff’s office said.
Officials still encourage residents to be prepared to leave with little notice in case a mandatory evacuation becomes necessary. That includes gathering medications, pets and important papers.
The only mandatory evacuation orders that are currently in place in Lake County are related to the Sulphur fire, the sheriff’s office said.
The Sulphur fire remains at 2,500 acres and 45-percent containment. A community meeting on the fire is planned at 6 p.m. Thursday during the Clearlake City Council meeting, 14050 Olympic Drive.
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.
- Elizabeth Larson
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MAP: Officials issue initial Sulphur fire damage assessment
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – On Thursday local officials completed the work on an initial damage assessment for the Sulphur fire.
The fire, which began early Monday, has displaced thousands of residents of Clearlake and Clearlake Oaks, and burned 2,500 acres.
A trip through the Sulphur fire area, filmed and posted below, shows devastation along a swath of lakefront and hillside residential areas.
However, until Thursday it wasn’t clear just how many structures had burned.
Clearlake City Manager Greg Folsom on Thursday released to Lake County News the damage assessment the city completed this week with the assistance of Cal Fire and Lake County Community Development staff.
The work has been ongoing even as the firefighting effort continues. The fire was reported to be 55-percent contained on Thursday evening.
The completed assessment puts the total number of destroyed structures at 168, with those structures located on 116 different properties.
In one case, 30 structures were lost on one site – 12145 Lakeshore Drive in Clearlake Park, listed as Holiday Island Mobile Home Park.
Of the 168 structures lost, 136 were residences, 27 were outbuildings, two were commercial and three were listed as “other.”
Lake County News mapped the data, as shown above. When clicking on any of the dots, the map will show information including the address and structure type.
The breakdown of residential structure types is as follows:
- Single-family residences, single-story: 49;
- Single-family residences, multistory: 34;
- Mobile home, singlewide: 28;
- Mobile home, doublewide: 20;
- Mobile home, triplewide: 1;
- Mobile home, motorhome: 1;
- Multifamily residence, single story: 3.
Other structure types listed among the destroyed structures include:
- Detached garage: 22;
- Miscellaneous: 3;
- Outbuilding: 3;
- Commercial building, single-story: 2;
- Barn: 1;
- Shop: 1.
The destroyed structures were located in the following communities:
- Clearlake: 89 structures at 77 addresses.
- Clearlake Park: 76 structures at 36 addresses.
- Clearlake Oaks: Two structures at two addresses.
There also was one structure on Lakeshore Drive with an undetermined address.
Folsom said the city of Clearlake will post the full list of destroyed properties on its Web site 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.
- Elizabeth Larson
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School closures reported for Friday due to fire conditions
Kelseyville Unified and Lake County International Charter School confirmed they will be closed Friday, joining the Konocti and Middletown districts, and the Clearlake Community School, which had previously planned to be closed for the remainder of the week, according to Rob Young, the Lake County Office of Education’s emergency services and special projects coordinator.
Young said Lakeport Unified, Lucerne Elementary and the Upper Lake Unified school districts plan to be in session on Friday.
The Woodland Community College Lake County Campus in Clearlake will be closed Friday, according to Executive Dean Annette Lee.
Mendocino College also is suspending classes on all of its campuses in Lake and Mendocino counties through Sunday due to the region’s fire, according to spokesperson Jessica Silva.
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.
- LAKE COUNTY NEWS REPORTS
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Sulphur fire community meeting planned for Thursday night
The council meeting will take place 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 12, in the council chambers at Clearlake City Hall, 14050 Olympic Drive.
Officials will provide updated information regarding the Sulphur fire, which on Thursday afternoon continued to hold at 2,500 acres, with containment unchanged at 45 percent containment, according to Cal Fire.
The damage assessment process as well as plans for repopulation and recovery will be discussed.
Emergency personnel continue to monitor the fire activity related to the Tubbs, Pocket and Redwood/Potter fires.
If the situation worsens, emergency personnel will issue mandatory evacuation notices.
There are still two evacuation shelters open. The shelters are located at Twin Pine Casino in Middletown and the Seventh-day Adventist Church located at 1111 Park Way in Lakeport. Anyone in need of shelter as a result of the recent fires is encouraged to go to one of the shelters.
The Konocti and Middletown Unified school districts have canceled school for Friday. The Kelseyville Unified School District will be making a decision later on Thursday.
The Lakeport, Upper Lake, and Lucerne school districts will have normal class schedules for Friday.
- Elizabeth Larson
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Fire officials make more progress on Sulphur fire, complete initial damage assessment
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – With more resources arriving in Northern California, firefighters raised containment on the Sulphur fire on Thursday.
Cal Fire reported Thursday night that the fire, burning since early Monday, remains at 2,500 acres, with containment during the day growing to 55 percent.
The Sulphur fire has been combined with the Redwood fire in Mendocino County into the Mendocino Lake Complex, which is under the management of Cal Fire’s Incident Management Team 4.
Incident management team member Capt. Steve Kaufmann said Cal Fire has a total of six such teams, which normally would be assigned each to once fire.
With 17 major incidents going on around the state, each of the teams now has two to three fires to oversee, Kaufmann said, which is the reason the two incidents were combined.
At a community meeting in Clearlake on Thursday night, Kaufmann showed a map of the Sulphur fire, which can be seen below.
He explained that the black line on the northern portion of the fire signifies areas where the fire is contained; in those locations, they don’t believe any fire will cross that line.
The red area around the lower part of the fire is where firefighters are continuing to build line to increase containment, with Kaufmann explaining that work will continue over the next few days.
The Redwood fire, burning in Potter and Redwood valleys since early Monday, was at 34,000 acres and 10 percent containment, based on Cal Fire’s latest estimate on Thursday night.
On Thursday Mendocino County Sheriff Tom Allman The Mendocino Lake Complex was rated the No. 3 priority statewide amongst a total of 10 disasters.
Allman also said the death toll in the Redwood fire had risen to eight.
Cal Fire was not able to break down the specific resources between the Sulphur and Redwood fires, but for the overall Mendocino Lake Complex a total of 8,000 people have been evacuated between the two fires.
Officials said about 1,000 of those were told to leave their homes on Wednesday night due to worsening conditions in Mendocino County.
Between both incidents, a total of 1,000 structures remain threatened, with a total of 245 homes destroyed and another 15 damaged, two commercial structures damaged, 124 minor structures destroyed and 26 minor structures damaged.
Based on a damage assessment released to Lake County News by the city of Clearlake, 168 structures were destroyed in the Sulphur fire, with all but two of them in Clearlake.
Resources committed to the overall incident include 88 engines, 22 water tenders, 19 helicopters, 67 hand crews, 44 dozers and 1,712 personnel, Cal Fire said.
On Thursday, firefighters benefited from favorable weather conditions across both fires in their efforts to increase containment and protect structures, according to Cal Fire.
However, Cal Fire said firefighters remain challenged by the steep terrain, dry fuel and northwest winds.
Community hears updates
Kaufmann and other Cal Fire personnel joined with local officials at Thursday night’s regular Clearlake City Council meeting, which was combined with a Sulphur fire community update.
One of the council’s main items of business was ratifying the declaration of a local emergency made on Monday by City Manager Greg Folsom.
The update on fire conditions was added as an emergency item to the council’s agenda, and held at the beginning of the meeting.
Folsom started by thanking everyone who had worked so hard to save the city, which had narrowly escaped the Rocky fire two years ago.
Kaufmann credited local firefighters for saving homes before Cal Fire’s teams arrived.
Now, with firefighters coming in from around the region, Kaufmann assured community members that while they might not recognize the firefighters’ faces or patches, “While we’re here, we are your firefighters, and we’re not going to leave until this is mitigated.”
Kaufmann said they are anticipating a significant wind event beginning on Friday, with the coming winds having just slightly less strength than those seen on Sunday and Monday.
“I do want you to understand that we are still not out of danger,” Kaufmann said.
He also addressed concerns about resources, assuring the group that firefighters are coming in from around California, as well as from Washington, Oregon, Nevada and from as far away as the East coast.
He also encouraged people to download Cal Fire’s free “Ready for Wildfire” app to get updated information on incidents.
Also at the Thursday night meeting, Sheriff Brian Martin urged people to remember that the situation remains a dangerous one, with fire weather warnings issued and evacuations still in effect in some areas due to the fire.
Acting Clearlake Police Chief Tim Celli had some good news – the city anticipates being able to lift the remaining evacuations by 5 p.m. Friday.
He said a lot of work has gone into the effort to allow residents to safely return home, with Pacific Gas and Electric, water crews, fire departments and many others involved.
“You have an entire army working for you,” Celli said.
County Supervisor Rob Brown – who was on hand along with fellow board members Jeff Smith, Jim Steele and Moke Simon – said the county is working with the city to start the recovery process.
He said the county has been assured by the California Office of Emergency Services that Lake County is a priority and that it hasn’t been forgotten in the midst of the other disasters around the state.
Smith has been Clearlake’s supervisor for 19 years, and he lost his home of 31 years in the fire.
He didn’t mention his personal loss during the meeting, but instead told community members not to hesitate to ask for help. “We’re all here for you,” he said.
“We’ll all get through this together,” he said, adding, “We just have a fresh start now.”
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.
- Elizabeth Larson
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REGIONAL: Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office releases names of 10 fire victims
At a Thursday night briefing, Giordano announced that the death toll in Sonoma County’s fires has risen to 17.
The victims Giordano identified on Thursday evening primarily were in their 70s and 80s, with the youngest being in his 50s.
Giordano said the majority of them came from the Santa Rosa and Larkfield areas.
Most were found in their homes and one was next to a vehicle, Giordano said.
“The bulk were found in targeted searches,” he said.
Giordano said the following 10 individuals have been positively identified and their next of kin have been advised:
- Carol Collins-Swasey, 76 years old from Santa Rosa;
- Lynne Anderson Powell, 72 years old from Santa Rosa;
- Arthur Tasman Grant, 95 years old from Santa Rosa;
- Suiko Grant, 75 years old from Santa Rosa;
- Donna Mae Halbur, 80 years old from Larkfield (Santa Rosa);
- Leroy Peter Halbur, 80 years old from Larkfield (Santa Rosa);
- Valerie Lynn Evans, 75 years old from Santa Rosa;
- Carmen Caldentey Berriz, 75 years old from Apple Valley;
- Michael John Dornbach, 57 years old from Calistoga;
- Veronica Elizabeth McCombs, 67 years old from Santa Rosa.
Giordano said they were able to identify the victims in various ways, based on the conditions of the bodies, some of which were intact, while others had been reduced to ash and bone.
He said they confirmed two individuals by medical records, one by tattoos and the others through fingerprints, visually or through investigation about their whereabouts and movements.
In the case of two of the individuals, they were identified through serial numbers on medical devices or joint implants that were located with the remains, Giordano said.
He said his agency is still working to identify the other seven dead.
The Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office has taken reports on 1,100 missing people, and have located 745 of them, with 400 still outstanding, Giordano said.
He asked that when people make contact with family members or friends who have been reported missing, that they call authorities to let them know they are safe so they can be taken off the search list.
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.
- John Jensen
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VIDEO: A look at the Sulphur fire area
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Prior to initial repopulation efforts which began Tuesday, Lake County News shot a driving tour of the Sulphur fire area perimeter.
The fire has burned 2,500 acres in and around Clearlake Oaks and the city of Clearlake since early Monday morning.
This video has been widely requested by readers who want to know what the area looks like.
It focuses mainly on affected areas surrounding the fire. Some portions of the video are edited out for time.
The video is from two synced cameras to capture different angles with unaffected areas edited out.
The most affected area begins on Lakeshore Drive with two cameras aimed at the road and side areas.
We apologize if this video is painful to view as many homes are gone.
Not shown in the video is the origination of the fire which will be the subject of an upcoming article.
Email John Jensen at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
- Elizabeth Larson
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Fire weather watch issued for Lake County, other parts of region
The fire weather watch will go into effect at 12 a.m. Saturday and remain in effect until noon on Sunday, when the National Weather Service said the strongest winds are expected to occur.
The strongest winds are expected will be across exposed ridges and through wind-aligned drainages, the agency said.
Winds around the region are forecast to have northeast winds from 15 to 30 miles per hour, with local gusts of between 35 to 45 miles per hour, based on the forecast.
Those winds, combined with low relative humidity that is drying out vegetation, are concerns for fire officials.
Capt. Steve Kaufmann of the Ventura County Fire Department is a member of Cal Fire’s Incident Management Team 4, which is managing the Sulphur fire as part of the Mendocino Lake Complex – which includes the fires in Potter and Redwood valleys.
Kaufmann gave community members an update on conditions at a Thursday night meeting in Clearlake.
He said a “significant wind event” is expected to arrive on Friday.
The forecast calls for winds that aren’t quite as strong as those the region experienced on Sunday and Monday, he said.
However, he said it would take just one small ember to get out of the fire lines “and we’re off to the races again.”
He added, “I do want you to understand that we are still not out of danger,” he said.
The county forecast expects north northeast winds of up to 8 miles per hour on Friday and up to 13 miles per hour during the day on Saturday in the Sulphur fire area.
In southern Lake County, winds are expected to range up to 10 miles per hour during the day on Friday, rising to about 16 miles per hour at night, with nighttime gusts of up to 23 miles per hour.
On Saturday, the forecast calls for daytime conditions with winds of up to 17 miles per hour and 24-mile-per-hour gusts. The forecast calls for wind conditions to taper off to about 9 miles per hour on Saturday night.
Temperatures over the next several days around the county look to be in the normal fall range, from the high 40s at night and the high 70s during the day, the forecast 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.
- LAKE COUNTY NEWS REPORTS
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WATCH LIVE: Clearlake City Council and Sulphur fire community meeting
— Lake County News (@LakeCoNews) October 13, 2017CLEARLAKE, Calif. – City, county and state fire officials are holding a community meeting on the Sulphur fire in concert with the Clearlake City Council meeting at 6 p.m. Thursday.
The meeting is taking place in the council chambers at Clearlake City Hall, 14050 Olympic Drive.
Officials will provide updated information regarding the Sulphur fire, including the damage assessment process, plans for repopulation and recovery.
Watch the video live above. The video also will be available for rebroadcast.
- Elizabeth Larson
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Sulphur fire containment edges up; Mendocino, Napa, Sonoma fires grow
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – More progress was made in fully containing Lake County’s Sulphur fire on Wednesday, but other fires around the region continued to grow steadily.
Cal Fire’s Wednesday evening report said that the Sulphur fire, burning since early Monday near Clearlake and Clearlake Oaks, remained at 2,500 acres, with containment up to 45 percent.
Damage assessments remain under way in the fire area, with no total yet given on damaged and destroyed structures.
Sheriff Brian Martin had reported earlier this week that he believed there were as many as 150 burned residences, primarily in the city of Clearlake.
While some evacuees in the city of Clearlake were allowed to return home on Tuesday evening, many Sulphur fire area residents remain evacuated, officials reported.
The Sulphur fire has been combined with the Mendocino County Complex – composed of two major fires in Potter and Redwood valleys – and renamed the Mendocino Lake Complex.
With a need for more firefighting personnel, Cal Fire officials reported that resources were being moved off of the Sulphur fire in order to fight the fires in Mendocino County, which by Wednesday night had scorched 30,000 acres, were 5-percent contained and prompting more evacuations.
The Mendocino County complex’s death toll has doubled to six lives lost, with the number expected to grow, according to Mendocino County Sheriff Tom Allman.
Allman said it’s the biggest disaster for the county of Mendocino since the Jonestown Massacre of 1978.
Weather conditions around the North Coast contributed to what Tim Chavez, a fire behavior analyst with Cal Fire, called a “perfect storm” during a Wednesday briefing on the Mendocino Lake Complex.
Chavez said that, normally in mid-October, fire danger on the North Coast is rapidly going decreasing.
“This year, something’s going on,” he said.
For the 16 days prior to the Sunday night fire storm that set off storms around the North Coast, the relative humidity was never above 40 percent during the day and night, Chavez said.
He called the conditions “very unusual,” and explained that the result was fuels that were extremely dried out. When the winds hit on Sunday night, the fire moved fast – in the case of the Mendocino County complex, it moved about four miles in two hours, causing devastation.
“Those conditions, except for the wind speed, really haven’t changed,” said Chavez.
He added, “This still remains as very challenging fire.”
On Wednesday evening officials also increased the mandatory evacuation area in Potter Valley and issued new evacuation warnings in Potter Valley as well, with that warning area covering locations stretching to the Lake County line.
Elsewhere around the region, there was significant growth on major fire incidents on Wednesday.
The Tubbs fire in Napa and Sonoma counties, which has continued its push toward Lake County, resulted in the Lake County Sheriff’s Office issuing a Wednesday morning advisory evacuation notice for the Middletown area.
The fire’s growth and movement also led to a mandatory evacuation order on Wednesday afternoon for all of the city of Calistoga, according to the Napa County Sheriff’s Office.
By nightfall, the Tubbs fire had grown to approximately 27,363 acres and 10-percent containment, Cal Fire said.
While on Wednesday evening fire mapping showed that the Tubbs fire had not moved into Lake County’s borders, with ever-changing conditions and a red flag warning still in effect for Lake and surrounding counties, authorities are on high alert.
“We’re not out of the woods,” Sheriff Brian Martin told community members at a meeting at Twin Pine Casino in Middletown on Wednesday evening.
Later on Wednesday night, Napa County officials said all mandatory evacuation orders were remaining in place.
The Sonoma County Coroner's Office on Wednesday said it had confirmed another two deaths due to the Tubbs fire, bringing the death toll to 13.
Another fire nearing southern Lake County is the Pocket fire, burning near Geyserville.
It grew by thousands of acres on Wednesday, reaching an estimated 4,000 acres by nightfall, with no containment reported, according to Cal Fire.
The Pocket fire’s rapid growth led to the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office issuing mandatory evacuations in Geyserville, extending on Highway 128 east to River Rock Casino, and south on Highway 128 to Geysers Road up to Calpine.
Fire mapping on Wednesday night also showed the Pocket fire to still be some distance away from Lake County’s border.
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.
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