Theresa McNerlin, public information officer for the county of Mendocino, reported just after 8 p.m. that the 53,300-acre fire had reached 100-percent containment.

The complex of 129 fires was sparked by dry lightning storms beginning June 20, as Lake County News has reported. Suppression costs are now estimated at $44.1 million.

The fires had triggered evacuations in numerous parts of the county, and destroyed one home and one outbuilding.

During the weeks of firefighting, one Anderson Valley firefighter died from respiratory distress, and another 45 were injured, according to Cal Fire.

When containment was announced Thursday, 2,088 fire personnel were still assigned to the complex – including 340 “overhead” or leadership positions – along with 119 engines, 63 fire crews, 10 helicopters, 45 water tenders, 18 dozers and one fixed-wing aircraft, Cal Fire reported.

Officials reminded residents that despite containment, smoke and flareups could occur within the complex's containment lines. Several weeks of patrolling all the fire areas – from the air and the ground – will continue in an effort to extinguish hot spots.

For information about other fires around the state, visit www.cdf.ca.gov.

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A dry lightning storm on June 21 triggered the Soda Complex to the north and northwest of Lake Pillsbury on the Mendocino National Forest's Upper Lake Ranger District, as Lake County News has reported.

The complex has burned 8,317 acres, with one of its four original fires – the Mill Fire – still burning and at 52-percent containment, according to Forest Service spokesman Marc Peebles.

On Tuesday, the Mill Fire jumped the containment lines on its southeastern portion, and continued burning in a northeasterly direction, Peebles reported. On the western and southwestern flanks the fire continues to be active, backing down towards Thomas Creek.

The fire is now at 2,728 acres burned – about 800 more acres since the last report – with fire crews working to reconstruct containment lines while they're aided by aircraft fighting the fire from above, Peebles said. Firefighters are using backfires to control the Mill Fire's spread.

Peebles said 455 personnel, 12 fire crews, 16 engines, three dozers, four water tenders and six helicopters continue to work on the Mill Fire, which is expected to be fully contained July 23.

Elsewhere on public lands, fires in the Yolla Bolly-Middle Eel Wilderness continue to burn aggressively, having burned 23,649 acres, 9,190 of which is burning in the Vinegar Fire located on the Mendocino National Forest, said Forest Service spokesperson Phebe Brown. The Vinegar Fire is only 25-percent contained.

Lake County Air Pollution Control Officer Bob Reynolds reported Wednesday that the county's air quality continues to improve as the fires die down, and that air quality measurements show that air should be in the good to moderate range.

In other regional fire news Wednesday, Mendocino County's lightning complex remained at 95-percent containment and 53,300 acres burned, according to Cal Fire. Approximately 2,292 firefighters remain assigned to the last three fires in the complex, which has cost more than $41 million to suppress.

For more information about the forest fires visit Forest Service Web site at www.fs.fed.us/r5/mendocino or www.inciweb.org. For information about other fires around the state, visit www.cdf.ca.gov.

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A firefighter helps Mr. Ed get a drink. Courtesy photo.

MENDOCINO NATIONAL FOREST – On Tuesday firefighters came to the rescue of an injured horse found near the fire line of the Soda Complex, burning on the Mendocino National Forest near Lake Pillsbury.

At around 8 a.m. Tuesday, firefighters working on the western and southwestern edge of the Mill Fire came across an injured horse as crews were constructing containment line and preparing for a backfire operation, according to Forest Service spokesperson Marc Peebles.

Firefighters assessed the injured horse and found that he sustained injuries to his front legs and abrasions, said Peebles. The horse also appeared to be very dehydrated, weak and may have been in this condition for several days.

Peebles said they suspect that the horse may have been spooked and ran off during the initial lightening storm several weeks ago.

The firefighters gave the injured horse tender loving care on the fire line, complete with apples and affection. Courtesy photo.

Incident Commander Dave Fiorella of Southern California Incident Management No. 3 ordered his Management Team to find a local veterinarian and for firefighters to prepare for a rescue mission, Peebles said. Dr Sherry Cronin D.V.M. of Covelo was flown by helicopter into the area to assess the horse’s condition prior to rescue.

The horse got some special tender loving care from his firefighter friends, who fed the horse apples from their fire line sack lunches and gave him water to help him recover, according to Peebles.

After a couple of hours, the horse began to show signs of improvement, Peebles said, and Dr. Cronin determined the horse’s injuries were minor enough that firefighters could walk him to a ranch a few miles away.

Peebles said the firefighters on the line affectionately dubbed the horse “Mr. Ed.”

Officials offered a special thanks to the Mendocino County Animal Shelter for helping to locate Dr Cronin and a temporary shelter location.

Once Mr. Ed was given the all clear by veterinarian Dr. Sherry Cronin, firefighters were able to lead him to a nearby ranch. Courtesy photo.

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The Soda Complex, to the north of Lake Pillsbury on the Mendocino National Forest's Upper Lake Ranger District, is now 75-percent contained after having burned 8,337 acres, according to Forest Service spokesperson Marc Peebles. There are now 655 personnel assigned to the fire.

The 2,748-acre Mill Fire is the last of the complex's four original fires to still burn actively. Peebles reported that a five-acre spot fire occurred on that fire's northern portion on Wednesday, crossing containment lines. Firefighters on the ground were aided by aircraft and contained the spot fire.

Peebles said the fire continues to be active on the western, southwestern and southeastern flanks, especially in the late afternoon, as it backs down towards Thomas Creek to the southwest and to the southeast. Backfires and line construction continue to take place.

The Vinegar Fire in the Yolla Bolly-Middle Eel Wilderness has burned 9,430 acres on the Mendocino National Forest, according to Forest Service spokesperson Phebe Brown. There is no estimate for that fire's containment.

Lake County Air Pollution Control Officer Bob Reynolds said the county's air quality is expected to continue to improve, with measurements expected to be in the good to moderate range through Friday. Some smoke from wildland fires around Northern California has remained in the air basin in recent days, brought here by west to southwest winds.

For more information about the forest fires visit Forest Service Web site at www.fs.fed.us/r5/mendocino or www.inciweb.org. For information about other fires around the state, visit www.cdf.ca.gov.

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Adam Jessen, 29, will face felony DUI and child endangerment once he's released from Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital, where he was admitted for treatment of injuries following the crash, which occurred at 2:56 p.m. Tuesday, said California Highway Patrol Officer Adam Garcia.

Garcia said Jessen was driving his 1986 Mercury north on Highway 29 north of Spruce Grove Road, just outside of Hidden Valley Lake, when his vehicle drifted onto the east shoulder.

Jessen attempted to correct the vehicle's path and crossed opposing traffic, going over the west side of the highway and rolling over a couple of times before coming to rest on its wheels approximately 80 feet down a steep embankment, according to Garcia.

An air ambulance transported Jessen to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital with severe but not life-threatening injuries, Garcia reported. A 4-year-old female passenger riding with Jessen sustained minor to moderate injuries and was taken to Redbud Community Hospital by South Lake County Fire Protection District ambulance.

Garcia said Jessen is believed to have been under the influence of alcohol at the time of the collision.

Officer Robert Hearn is investigating the incident, Garcia said.

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Cal Fire reported that the Mendocino Lightning Complex in Mendocino County had reached 95-percent containment on Tuesday, with 53,300 acres burned.

Four fires of the more than 120 sparked in lightning fires last month continue to burn, Cal Fire reported. More than 2,200 firefighter remain assigned to the complex, which has cost officials nearly $40 million to fight.

The fires had been a major source of smoke in Lake County's air basin over the last several weeks. While some residual smoke is expected to remain, Air Pollution Control Officer Bob Reynolds said the county's air quality is in the good to moderate range.

On the Mendocino National Forest's Upper Lake Ranger District, firefighters had the Soda Complex of fires near Lake Pillsbury at 70-percent containment on Tuesday, according to Forest Service spokesperson Phebe Brown. The fires have burned 7,645 acres.

Three of the complex's four fires are now contained, the latest being the 1,829-acre Monkey Rock Fire. Still actively burning is the Mill Fire at 1,978 acres at 63-percent containment, Brown said.

Also on the Mendocino National Forest, the complex of fires in the Yolla Bolly-Middle Eel Wilderness had burned 21,963 acres by Monday, with firefighters positioned near the Yellow Fire to protect private property at Henthorne Lake and historical properties to the southwest of the fire, according to Brown.

For more information about the forest fires visit Forest Service Web site at www.fs.fed.us/r5/mendocino or www.inciweb.org. For information about other fires around the state, visit www.cdf.ca.gov.

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The fire broke out at 2:22 a.m. Saturday, July 12, at the agency's complex on Old River Road, said Ukiah Valley Fire Chief Dan Grebil.

Three Ukiah Valley engines were joined at the scene by an engine from El Cajon Fire Department and another engine from the fire department for the Viejas Band of Kumeyaay Indians from the San Diego area, said Grebil.

The engines were in the county to work on the vast Mendocino Lightning Complex and were able to respond and assist with putting out the fire, which Grebil said took about an hour.

Investigation into the fire's cause is still ongoing, said Grebil.

Paul Tichinin, Mendocino County superintendent of schools, said the fire affected seven buildings, destroying five portables measuring about 900 square feet each.

Damage estimates are still in process, he said. “We do know it's in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.”

No classrooms were damaged or student records lost, Tichinin said. The district's main computer system also remains intact, with staffers set up in a temporary office facility, using laptops to recover data.

However, a number of programs providing support for special groups of children were impacted, Tichinin said.

They include the Child Development Department, Child Care Planning Council, Americorps and the First Five Commission. Some equipment for very young, disabled children also was destroyed, he said.

A far-reaching impact is the loss of materials and records for the regional after school tutoring program. Tichinin said the program serves Lake, Sonoma, Humboldt, Del Norte and Mendocinco counties, offering training and support for after school programs.

He said his staff was working hard to find what was missing and damaged and get back on track for when the county's schools return to session, which is from Aug. 18 onward.

He said he was especially thankful to firefighters, and grateful that the firefighters from Viejas and El Cajon happened to be in the area.

“We're just really pleased with them,” Tichinin said.

Out of harm's way was Dominican University of California's facilities, which are located at the campus for Mendocino Office of Education.

“We were on the total opposite side of the campus,” said Dr. Lisa Ray Kelly, director of the center, which offers teaching credential programs serving Lake, Mendocino and Sonoma counties.

Kelly said there will be no interruption of service for Dominican resulting from the fire.

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Rob Brown (left) looks on as a large amount of marijuana removed from illicit gardens he discovered on his property last week is dropped by a helicopter used to transport the plants from the grow area. Photo by Elizabeth Larson.

THIS STORY HAS BEEN UPDATED

KELSEYVILLE – On Wednesday, state and local officials eradicated thousands of illegal marijuana plants which Supervisor Rob Brown found on his property last week.

The Campaign Against Marijuana Planting, or CAMP – a multi-agency task force including members from the Lake County Sheriff's Office, Fish and Game, California Department of Justice and California Highway Patrol, among them – pulled out the illegal gardens in a Wednesday morning operation.

Approximately 4,887 marijuana plants, which were not yet bearing buds, were cut down and buried on the property near Bottle Rock Road in Kelseyville, said Ryan Pontecorvo of the California Department of Justice, who was participating in the plants' removal.

Brown said the plants initially were discovered last Tuesday and Wednesday, when a heavy equipment operator working to clear brush on the land was confronted by a Hispanic male who tried to make the operator leave the area.

Since then, flyovers revealed the grow area encompassed about 100 of Brown's 300 acres, running along draws and low areas between the area's hillsides.

Tree and brush canopy shaded the garden from view, but Brown said the bright green color of the young marijuana plants was clearly visible from the air.

A shot from a helicopter shows garbage tucked under the brush canopy at the top of the picture. This is taken after the marijuana plants were pulled out from around the trees. Photo by Elizabeth Larson.

In one spot, Brown said a spring that drains into a dry creek bed that runs only in the winter time – and which feeds into Cole Creek – was dammed as a water source for the plants.

A sheriff's office SWAT team went into the gardens early Wednesday morning before the eradications began in an attempt to locate any grower suspects, Pontecorvo said. No individuals were found in the growers' camp, which was located in thick brush on Brown's property.

Although none of the growers were found Wednesday, Pontecorvo said law enforcement did find a burning candle at the camp, which the superstitious growers light as an offering to a protective saint but which also posed a fire danger. They also found shotgun shells, he added.

A helicopter trip over the area late Wednesday morning showed extensive amounts of drip line and garbage the growers had left behind.

Pontecorvo said the operation likely had been built up over a period of years. Finding such grows on private land, when the property owner isn't aware of it, is not uncommon, he said.

Brown's small herd of buffalo stood on a hillside overlooking the scene as Pontecorvo and about 20 other law enforcement task force members and support staff went about the work of destroying the plants.

Many of the men – wearing green or camouflage fatigues complete with radios, drinking water and weapons – were dropped into the gardens on a 100-foot long line via a helicopter in a technique called Short Term Airborne Operation, or STABO, which they began using in 1993.

Pontecorvo said using the helicopter allows them to cover more land area quicker. In the case of Brown's property, they were able to traverse the large amount of acreage in only about two and a half hours.

Berk Berkley, who has been with CAMP since he retired as the sheriff of Madera County in 1986, said the helicopter's $809 per hour services are provided for free to counties that participate in CAMP, which is funded primarily by the federal Drug Enforcement Administration and run by the California Department of Justice.

As to who was responsible for the illicit marijuana grow, Pontecorvo said it's most likely Mexican men hired by Mexican organized crime. He said the men are brought over the border by “coyotes” – or people smugglers – and deposited in the grow area, where they're left for months at a time to tend the gardens.

Scouting for sites usually starts as early as March, said Pontecorvo, with young marijuana plant clones planted in the areas and assisted in their growing by heavy doses of fertilizers such as Miracle-Gro or Romeo, which can wreak havoc on the environment.

The marijuana did not yet have buds on it. Officials buried it at Brown's property. Photo by Elizabeth Larson.

Berkley said growers like places like Lake County because it's very isolated. “That's what they look for.”

Brown and his wife, Kim, were still unnerved by the thought that they and their children had been close to the area where the growing activity was taking place. Trails around the sites are popular horseback riding areas for the Brown children and their friends.

The Browns also reported that a large beef cow of theirs had gone missing, with the last tracks of hers that they found leading up to some pine trees on the hillside, where the gardens also extended. The conclusion, at least for now, is that she may have become meat for the growers.

Pontecorvo said CAMP's Region 5 team – which covers Lake County – is spending a lot of time in the county these days.

Last week, CAMP activities in Lake County resulted in the eradication of approximately 53,472 marijuana plants with an estimated street value of $240 million, as Lake County News has reported.

Pontecorvo said the height of the eradication season is July 1 through mid-October.

One of the issues the Browns are still facing is cleanup. Pontecorvo said cleaning up an acre of land after an illegal garden is eradicated costs about $11,000 – from filling in cisterns dug to water the plants to dealing with miles of leftover irrigation drip line, besides damages to wild animals and natural vegetation, which can be harder to address.

Rob Brown said he'll start hauling out garbage and small portable propane tanks left behind by the growers, the latter a particular safety hazard in light of this year's volatile fire season.

Pontecorvo emphasized that anyone who comes across an illegal marijuana grow – whether on private or public lands – should leave the area immediately and notify law enforcement. He said growers often are armed and very dangerous, with recent cases being reported in other parts of the state where someone happening across a grow was killed.

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A task force member stands uphill of a camp they located deep in the brush. Photo by Elizabeth Larson.

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Participants will be able to ask Congressman Thompson about issues that impact the 1st District and he will respond on-the-spot for all to hear.

The town hall will take place from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.

“Telephone town halls are a great way for people across our congressional district to discuss issues that impact us all, like the economy, energy, health care and the war,” said Thompson. “Our nation is facing a lot of challenges right now, and I believe this telephone town hall will be an important chance to hear directly from 1st District residents and talk candidly about solutions we’re working on in Congress. I hope everyone will join me on Wednesday night.”

To join, when the call starts dial 866-447-5149 and enter the passcode 13293.

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A REACH helicopter takes off from the Caltrans yard on Highway 20 as a Northshore Fire firefighter looks on. The helicopter transported 11-year-old Joshua Compton to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital. Photo by Elizabeth Larson.

CLEARLAKE OAKS – An 11-year-old boy was injured Wednesday afternoon after the van he was riding in collided with a parked Mediacom truck.

The crash occurred by the Caltrans yard near Schindler Street on Highway 20 in Clearlake Oaks. It was reported at 5:20 p.m., according to the California Highway Patrol.

Jason Compton, 36, of Lucerne – accompanied by his 11-year-old son, Joshua – was driving a newer-model white Ford van for Half Price Plumbing.com westbound on Highway 20 when he fell asleep, said CHP Officer Mark Barnes.

Alongside of the road's eastbound lane was parked a Ford F-450 Mediacom pickup, said Barnes. Mediacom employee Craig Billings, 47, of Clearlake, had just come down from working on a nearby utility pole and had walked around the rear passenger side of the vehicle when Compton's van struck the left rear of the pickup.

The truck moved away from Billings, who was hit in the elbow by the moving truck but suffered no other injuries, said Barnes.

The collision, however, trapped the little boy in the front passenger side of the van, said Barnes. The eastbound traffic lane was blocked as Northshore Fire Protection Department personnel extricated him.

In the nearby Caltrans yard, a REACH helicopter was staged. Northshore Fire paramedics moved the child – who suffered facial lacerations but appeared to have had no other serious injuries – via a gurney to the helicopter, which Barnes said transported him to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital.

The boy's distraught father, joined by his wife at the scene, was limping following the crash, and also had suffered a deep gash to the back of his scalp.

An American Towing truck removed the van from the scene.

Barnes said there appeared to be no other factors involved in the crash, with Compton's speed not being an issue.

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The van hit hte Mediacom truck while it was sitting alongside Highway 20. Photo by Elizabeth Larson.

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Curtis Frank Anderson, 36, of Nice was tasered in the backyard of a residence at the corner of Foothill Drive and Victoria Street at about 10 p.m.

Anderson, who was driving an older model pickup, had traveled down Foothill Drive at a high rate of speed and came to a stop in front of the home, fleeing into the backyard.

The house's occupants emerged and began screaming at two sheriff's deputies who emerged from a single sheriff's car, who pursued the man into the yard and told him to stop.

The deputies were approached by another subject who they told to get back. At one point a deputy ordered one of the men to put down a stick.

When their orders weren't followed, one of the deputies deployed a taser that hit Anderson, taking him to the ground.

While in the process of taking Anderson back to the vehicle, several subjects from the home continued to scream obscenities at the deputies. When another subject refused to back away from the patrol car, he, too, was taken into custody.

Two other patrol cars arrived at the scene and assisted with an investigation. A towing company impounded Anderson's pickup at the order of the sheriff's deputies.

Anderson was subsequently arrested and transported to have a blood draw before he was booked into the Lake County Jail on a felony charge of possessing/manufacturing/selling a dangerous weapon or explosive and a felony parole violation.

He also was charged with misdemeanors including driving under the influence, obstructing a peace officer and possession of a controlled substance without a prescription.

No information was available early Wednesday morning about the other subject arrested at the same time as Anderson.

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With such a start to the season, officials believe 2008 could match or surpass 2007, which proved a record-breaking year for illegal marijuana eradications both in Lake County and across the state.

Lt. Dave Garzoli of the Lake County Sheriff's Office reported Monday that the Sheriff’s Marijuana Eradication Program kicked off its annual effort to eradicate illegal marijuana grows on July 7. The program is funded through federal grants.

Garzoli said in the first three days of eradication approximately 53,472 marijuana plants were found and destroyed in areas around Highland Springs Reservoir, the Glen Eden Trail head and White Rock Mountain.

Estimated street value of the marijuana seized is more than $240 million, said Garzoli, a figure calculated at $4,500 per pound at a 1-pound-per-plant yield.

The multi-agency effort includes participation from the state's California’s Multi Jurisdictional Marijuana Eradication Task Force – known as the Campaign Against Marijuana Planting, or CAMP – the Lakeport Police Department, Lake County Narcotics Task Force and the California Department of Fish and Game.

During the eradications officials found at least one firearm left behind when growers fled the area and in other sites located ammunition and shell casings, according to Garzoli.

Officials made no arrests during last week's eradications, Garzoli said. During the operations, one law enforcement officer suffered a heat-related injury and was transported to the hospital.

Based on the first week of operations, Garzoli said 2008 appears to be shaping up much like 2007 in terms of illicit marijuana finds.

Last year, Lake County led the state with the highest number of plants eradicated in a single season – 507,000, a state record – as Lake County News has reported. Plants were seized on private lands but public lands – primarily the Mendocino National Forest – proved a primary discovery area.

Statewide, more than 2.9 million plants were seized with an overall value of $11.6 billion, the California Attorney General's Office reported.

Garzoli said virtually every illegal grow site discovered in Lake County last year had evidence that indicated that it was directed by Mexican organized crime. He said the sites almost always were inhabited by armed Hispanic growers and the environment surrounding these grow sites was devastated with trash, chemicals and plastic pipe.

The same conditions were discovered last week, he added.

Garzoli said the illicit grow sites discovered last week were located in extremely rugged terrain at elevations of 2,400 feet.

Because of the remoteness of the areas, Garzoli said efficient access to the grow sites was possible only

by helicopter via a Short Term Airborne Operation, or STABO.

He said STABO is a technique in which two officers at a time are lifted on the end of a 100-foot rope by a helicopter and flown to and lowered into the marijuana grow site.

Once all officers are deployed on the ground, Garzoli said a search of the grow site for suspects is

conducted. Once it's determined to be clear, they begin eradication, with the marijuana hauled out on the long line.

Once a garden is eradicated, the officers are then lifted to the next site, said Garzoli, continuing on until each illicit garden is destroyed.

The illegal grows on public lands haven't just been destructive to the environment, they've also posed safety hazards for the public and those working on public lands.

On the morning of July 10 firefighters battling the Soda Complex near Lake Pillsbury were patrolling the northern flank of the Mill Fire to identify areas where fire crews should put in containment lines, said Mendocino National Forest spokesperson Phebe Brown.

As they were traveling through the area, firefighters were confronted by two armed men who spoke to them in a threatening manner in a foreign language, she said.

Brown said the firefighters left the area and notified Forest Service law enforcement officials and the Lake County Sheriff's Office, who responded to the Lake Pillsbury area.

“Fire crews did not work that location for a day and a half until the area was secured by law enforcement for firefighter safety,” said Brown.

Brown said neither the growers nor their weapons were discovered; however, officials located and eradicated a small illegal marijuana garden – consisting of 47 plants – on National Forest land in the Sanhedrin Wilderness.

She said law enforcement officials have continued to patrol the area since then while firefighters are on the line.

Garzoli said the illicit marijuana eradications will continue for the rest of the summer.

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