CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Authorities are investigating the cause of a Friday morning apartment complex fire in Clearlake that claimed a life and displaced the remaining residents.

The fire at 3891 Country Club Drive was first reported at about 5:45 a.m., according to Lake County Fire Protection District Chief Willie Sapeta.

Sapeta said one apartment was partially involved when firefighters arrived.

He said his agency sent a total of four engines, two medic units, one water tender and himself, with resources from Northshore Fire and Cal Fire also responding.

The fire necessitated extended road closures in the area of Lakeshore Drive and Country Club Drive while firefighters were at work, according to the Clearlake Police Department.

Sapeta said the firefighters made an aggressive offensive attack and knocked the fire down, keeping it to the unit where it originated.

However, Sapeta said one person was found dead in the apartment where the fire started.

Red Cross responded right away to assist the residents who were displaced by the fire, with the property owner also responding, Sapeta said.

All fire resources cleared the scene at around 9:30 a.m., with investigators staying on scene for a few more hours, according to Sapeta.

He said investigators are working to make final determinations on the fire's origin and cause, noting, “It wasn't suspicious in nature,” and appeared not to be accidental but rather unintentional. “So there are no criminal components to it.”

As for the identity of the fire's victim, the Lake County Sheriff's Office was still working on Monday to confirm it.

“We believe we know who it is,” said Lt. Steve Brooks, noting the man was badly burned.

An autopsy is scheduled for Tuesday at which time the medical examiner also will work on identification, Brooks said.

Due to the damage to the apartment complex, the building was red-tagged on Monday, according to Lee Lambert, the city of Clearlake's code enforcement officer and building inspector.

The three-story complex has a unit on the bottom floor, and six units each on the top two stories. Lambert said he did not know if all of the units were occupied at the time of the fire.

Lambert said he met with the property's insurance agent at the complex on Friday, with indications being that repairs are to get under way soon.

Before the city lifts the red tag, Lambert said it will require a structural engineer to sign off on repairs to the building.

He did not have an estimated time for when the repair process would be complete. However, he said a structural engineer is scheduled to visit the complex early this week.

Friday's fire is the second apartment complex fire involving a fatality in the county this year.

An August fire in Lakeport damaged a senior apartment complex on Bevins Street and took the life of a woman, 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.

MENDOCINO NATIONAL FOREST, Calif. – Fire managers are preparing to conduct a 45-acre prescribed fire about five miles north of Upper Lake on the Upper Lake Ranger District on Wednesday, Nov. 9.

Crews are planning to ignite units that are part of the Howard Mill project, Mendocino National Forest officials reported.

Smoke may be visible from Highway 20, Upper Lake and surrounding areas. Officials said the unit is predominantly timber with pine litter understory and smoke should disperse quickly after ignitions are completed.

Burns are conducted within a “prescription” that is determined by appropriate fuel moisture, temperature, humidity, wind and ventilation.

Fire crews implement, monitor, and patrol each project to ensure it meets the goals and objectives outlined in the prescribed burn plans.

Some of these objectives include reducing hazardous fuels, protecting communities from extreme fires, and recycling nutrients back to the soil.

A project map is available on the forest Web site, http://tinyurl.com/z59o2mb .

This story has been updated with additional details about the phone carrier and counties affected.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – On Monday residents of Lake County were startled by an ongoing series of phone test alerts that were reported to have been the result of a system malfunction.

The multiple alerts came on Monday morning through the Integrated Public Alert Warning System, or IPAWS.

Lake County News received reports from local residents who said their phones had gone off about every 10 minutes for more than two hours.

The malfunction impacted US Cellular and not other cell phone carriers such as Verizon or AT&T, according to local officials.

There also were reports in other parts of the United States about receiving the alerts over an extended period.

Sheriff Brian Martin said the issues appeared to be a computer malfunction at the Federal Emergency Management Agency which subsequently was resolved Monday afternoon.

Martin said Central Dispatch received a notification from the state Office of Emergency Services regarding the malfunction issue.

Del Norte, Humboldt, Mendocino and other areas north to Oregon also were impacted, according to information Martin provided to Lake County News.

Earlier this year the sheriff's office joined the IPAWS system, which is used by federal, state, territorial, tribal and local authorities to issue emergency alerts and warning, 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.

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – On Thursday, Nov. 10, The Lake County Campus of Woodland Community College will be honoring and celebrating Veterans Day.

The event will begin at noon at the campus, 15880 Dam Road Extension in Clearlake.

The public is invited to attend the event, which will include the posting of the colors of the guard and student Anthony Neves singing the national anthem.

A guest speaker who will talk about their experience and detail what it means to be a vet, and discuss the important programs and benefits available to veterans in our local area.

There are more veterans in Lake County, per capita, than any other county in California. Woodland Community College feels it is important to honor and support our veterans and does so through events such as this and others such as the veterans’ educational benefit workshop it just offered on Nov. 3.

Aromas Café, the student-run campus restaurant, will be providing food for the event. They will be serving pork adobo with lumpia for $8, tempura sushi for $5, wonton soup for $5, pork belly appetizer for $6 and a teriyaki beef bowl with wonton for $8. All veterans will get an automatic 50 percent off anything they purchase from the restaurant.

For more information please contact the college at 707-995-7900 or visit http://lcc.yccd.edu .

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – Authorities in Shasta County are investigating the case of a Redding woman who went missing while on a jog and whose family believes she may have been abducted.

The Shasta County Sheriff's Office said Sherri Papini disappeared under suspicious circumstances near her home on Nov. 2 and is considered to be at risk.

Officials said Papini, 34, was reported missing shortly before 6 p.m. after she was not found at home and her cell phone was discovered on the ground near the intersection of Sunrise Drive and Old Oregon Trail in Redding.

Her family members have told the media that they believe Papini was abducted and that she's likely been moved out of the area.

On Thursday, the Shasta County Sheriff’s Office and its Search and Rescue Team conducted organized searches in the area where Papini's phone was found.

CHP air operations assisted with an aerial search, and ground searchers conducted followup canvasses and contacted area residences while searching for any evidence or clues associated with Papini, officials said.

Good information was obtained during those efforts and passed onto detectives, which assisted them in putting together a timeline of Papini’s activities on the date of her disappearance, the sheriff's office said.

At the same time, detectives had reportedly conducted numerous interviews with Papini’s family, friends and the public. 

The work so far has included patrol deputies making contacts with pedestrians and motorists in an attempt to learn information about what has occurred, with deputies and detectives also contacting sex offender registrants in the area, expanding the coverage area.

The Shasta County Sheriff’s Office said it has received multiple eyewitness reports from neighbors who know Papini and saw her in the area of Sunrise Drive on Nov. 2 in the mid to late morning or early afternoon, wearing a pink jogging top while she was on a jog/walk.  

Detectives with the Major Crimes Unit continue to sort through approximately 150 tips that have been generated from the public, and are reviewing surveillance videos from neighboring residences and business in the area where Papini went missing.

The Sheriff’s Office said it is utilizing resources from the Redding Police Department, as well as from the Department of Justice, and continues to keep close contact with Papini family.

Officials are offering a $50,000 reward in the case.

Anyone with information on Papini’s whereabouts or tips can call dispatch 24 hours a day at 530-245-6540 or at the Major Crimes Unit 530-245-6135. 

Tips can also be submitted at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , through Secret Witness of Shasta County at 530-243-2319 or the Nor-Cal Alliance for the Missing's anonymous tipline at 530-378-4491.

A Facebook page also has been set up to provide updates and generate information on Papini's case.