Lake County News,California

News

: Elizabeth Larson; Posted On Thursday, 12 October 2017 19:16; 12 October 2017

REGIONAL: Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office releases names of 10 fire victims

NORTH COAST, Calif. – Sonoma County Sheriff Rob Giordano on Thursday evening released the names of 10 of the people who have died in this week’s wildland fires in Sonoma County.

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; Posted On Thursday, 12 October 2017 04:09; 12 October 2017

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.

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: Elizabeth Larson; Posted On Wednesday, 11 October 2017 18:13; 11 October 2017

Air quality conditions continue to worsen due to regional fires

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Lake County Air Quality District on Wednesday said that air quality conditions have continued to degrade as a result of the large wildland fires burning around the North Coast.

Air Pollution Control Officer Doug Gearhart issued an air quality alert warning of “unhealthy for sensitive individuals” to “unhealthy for everyone” conditions due to continued high levels of smoke and other air pollutants lingering in Lake County.

Gearhart said the smoke and haze currently visible through areas of Lake County 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 Mendocino County Complex fire in Mendocino County, and localized impacts from the Sulphur fire in Lake County.

He said other active fires in Northern California may add to the smoke impacts in Lake County.

The Sulphur fire was being held at 2,500 acres with containment at 40 percent, according to Cal Fire.

The Tubbs fire’s approach to Lake County had prompted an advisory evacuation notice from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office on Wednesday morning.

The sheriff’s office issued another advisory evacuation for the Lake Pillsbury Basin on Wednesday afternoon because of the growth of the Mendocino County Complex.

Gearhart said current particulate levels in Lake County have been in the “unhealthy” range in many areas with short periods of improved air quality since late afternoon on Monday.

He said the highest levels of smoke are expected to continue into Thursday, though the air quality monitoring models indicate Lake County may get clearing winds from Wednesday through Thursday, which could significantly improve local air quality.

However, those same winds could increase fire activity locally and around the region, and are the reason for a red flag warning issued by the National Weather Service that’s in effect until 5 p.m. Thursday, as Lake County News has reported.

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; Posted On Thursday, 12 October 2017 17:58; 12 October 2017

WATCH LIVE: Clearlake City Council and Sulphur fire community meeting

https://t.co/8HInNf1bDS
— Lake County News (@LakeCoNews) October 13, 2017

CLEARLAKE, 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; Posted On Thursday, 12 October 2017 03:59; 12 October 2017

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.

: LAKE COUNTY NEWS REPORTS; Posted On Wednesday, 11 October 2017 16:14; 11 October 2017

Sheriff’s office issues advisory evacuation notice for Lake Pillsbury basin

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Lake County Sheriff's Office on Wednesday afternoon issued an evacuation advisory notice for the Lake Pillsbury Basin area due to fire activity in nearby Mendocino County.

Lt. Corey Paulich said this advisory was issued due to fire activity related to the Mendocino County Complex burning in Redwood and Potter valleys.

Paulich said residents should only use Elk Mountain Road while leaving the area.

Communication in the Pillsbury Basin is limited and the sheriff’s office is asking residents if they have contact with anyone in that area to please pass this information on to them, Paulich said.

Do not go to the area to deliver this information. Paulich said the sheriff's office will be sending personnel to the area to make the notifications.

An evacuation advisory is not a mandatory evacuation, but it is strongly recommended, Paulich said.

Residents are advised to gather their medications, pets and important papers. Paulich said residents should be prepared to leave the area with little notice.

If the situation worsens the sheriff’s office will issue a mandatory evacuation notice, Paulich said.

Anyone who is evacuating and in need of shelter can go to the evacuation shelter at the Seventh-day Adventist Church located at 1111 Park Way in Lakeport.

: Elizabeth Larson; Posted On Thursday, 12 October 2017 16:50; 12 October 2017

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; Posted On Thursday, 12 October 2017 02:36; 12 October 2017

Clearlake City Council to ratify Sulphur fire emergency, discuss marijuana regulations

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – In response to the Sulphur fire, the Clearlake City Council this week will discuss approving a local emergency and consider updated regulations related to marijuana dispensaries.

The council will meet in closed session starting at 5:30 p.m. to discuss a case of anticipated litigation before the open portion of the meeting begins at 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 12, in the council chambers at Clearlake City Hall, 14050 Olympic Drive.

One of the main items of business Thursday will be the ratification of a local emergency due to the Sulphur fire, which began shortly before 1 a.m. on Monday and has burned 2,500 acres and destroyed an as-yet unconfirmed number of structures in and around the city.

City Manager Greg Folsom told Lake County News he declared a local emergency due to the fire early on Monday. The council must now take action to ratify it.

Also on the agenda, the council will hold a public hearing to consider two ordinances, one relating to commercial marijuana, or cannabis, and the second to update the city’s existing marijuana dispensary ordinance.

The draft commercial ordinance includes, among other things, creation of a commercial cannabis business overlay zone, allowance for up to 12 cannabis business use permits and the requirement for a development agreement, while the new marijuana dispensary rules call for allowing deliveries without dispensary storefronts and includes changes to allow for the business overlay zone.

Other items on Thursday’s agenda are proclamations declaring October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month and Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and a presentation by City Clerk Melissa Swanson on the city’s Halloween trick-or-treat party.

Items on the consent agenda – items considered noncontroversial and usually accepted as a slate on one vote – are warrant registers, Resolution No. 2017-77 to declare surplus property and consideration of a second reading setting procedures for expediting permitting processing for electric vehicle charging stations.

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; Posted On Wednesday, 11 October 2017 14:32; 11 October 2017

LCSO: Sulphur fire Grace Church evacuation shelter relocation

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. -- According to the Lake County Sheriff's Office, the evacuation shelter, previously located at the Grace Church in Kelseyville,
has been relocated to the Seventh Day Adventist Church located at 1111 Park Way, Lakeport.

Anyone in need of shelter as a result of the Sulphur Fire are encouraged to go to the Seventh Day Adventist Church in Lakeport.

The phone numbers for the shelter are 707-496- 5878 and 707-530-1560.

: LAKE COUNTY NEWS REPORTS; Posted On Thursday, 12 October 2017 13:42; 12 October 2017

Sulphur fire community meeting planned for Thursday night

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – A community meeting regarding the Sulphur fire has been scheduled to take place in concert with the Clearlake City Council meeting on Thursday evening.

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; Posted On Wednesday, 11 October 2017 19:13; 11 October 2017

More school closures planned through end of the week

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Several schools and the county’s two community colleges are expected to remain closed through the rest of the week due to fire conditions, officials said Wednesday.

While containment on the Sulphur fire near Clearlake and Clearlake Oaks is rising, there are concerns about other fires around the region that have led to advisory evacuation notices in Middletown and the Pillsbury Basin, as Lake County News has reported.

For the rest of the week, schools will be closed in the Konocti Unified School District, as well as Middletown Unified and the Clearlake Community School, according to Rob Young, the Lake County Office of Education’s emergency services and special projects coordinator.

Young said Kelseyville Unified will be closed on Thursday. No decision has yet been made for Friday.

Local schools planning to be open on Thursday include the Upper Lake, Lakeport and Lucerne Elementary school districts, Young said.

At the community college level, Woodland Community College’s Lake County Campus in Clearlake has suspended classes for Thursday and Friday, according to Executive Dean Annette Lee.

Mendocino College is keeping its campuses in Lake and Mendocino counties closed through Sunday due to the region’s fire, according to spokesperson Jessica Silva.

Silva said that closure covers the main campus in Ukiah, the North County Center in Willits, the Lake Center in Lakeport and Coast Center in Fort Bragg.

She said all classes and on-campus activities will resume on Monday.

No damage has been reported at the Lake County school districts or at the community college facilities, officials said.

Silva said the North County Center has not had power but they were hoping to have it restored on Wednesday.

Mendocino College also is making bathroom and shower facilities in the Ukiah Campus’ Athletic Building open for public use 24 hours a day. Towels, shampoo, soap, and other hygiene items are provided, Silva said.

Additionally, Silva said tent camping will be allowed on athletic fields as well as RV/camper parking in the parking lots. The college does not have hook-ups, however, the restroom and shower facilities are available to everyone.

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; Posted On Wednesday, 11 October 2017 08:52; 11 October 2017

Tubbs fire moves toward Middletown; sheriff issues advisory evacuation notice

MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – The Lake County Sheriff’s Office on Wednesday morning issued an advisory evacuation notice for residents in the Middletown area due to the approach of the Tubbs fire.

The sheriff's office is currently monitoring fire activity from the Tubbs fire in Napa County and the agency said it has become necessary to issue an advisory notice due to the fire’s proximity.

An evacuation advisory is not a mandatory evacuation, but it is strongly recommended.

Residents are advised to gather their medications, pets and important papers, and should be prepared to leave the area with little notice.

If the situation worsens the sheriff’s office will issue a mandatory evacuation notice.

Cal Fire said the Tubbs fire, which began late Sunday night, has so far burned 28,000 acres and more than 570 homes.