LUCERNE, Calif. – Firefighters on Wednesday continued their efforts to fully contain a wildland fire in Lucerne.

The Foothill fire has burned a total of 69 acres, with containment rising to 90 percent by Wednesday evening, according to Suzie Blankenship, a fire prevention specialist with Cal Fire.

The fire began shortly after 5 p.m. Tuesday in the area of Foothill and Country Club drives, burning up along the Robinson Road area.

The incident came close to several homes, which had led to a limited number of brief evacuations on Tuesday evening that were lifted later that night, according to the Lake County Sheriff's Office.

Blankenship's report said firefighters saved three homes, with a dollar saved estimate of $550,000.

On Wednesday evening, four Cal Fire crews, seven engines, three water tenders and 100 personnel – three of them overhead/command staff – remained committed to the fire, Blankenship reported.

The Cal Fire crews and engines, plus a bulldozer and a helicopter, were busy in the fire's charred footprint on Wednesday afternoon.

Working alongside of the Cal Fire crews were US Forest Service units including the Elk Mountain Hotshots.

Firefighters on the ground cut trees, worked on hot spots and strengthened containment line.

The helicopter made repeated trips between the lake and the hillside with a bucket, dropping water in an area of trees where there still appeared to be a small amount of white smoke.

By day's end, Blankenship said heavy mop up work had begun within the fire perimeter.

Blankenship said fire crews will remain working on the fire line throughout the night, with a day shift of firefighters assigned to the incident on Thursday.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation, Blankenship 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.

NORTH COAST, Calif. – As part of Cal Fire's Forest Legacy Program 15,620 acres are now protected from development under the Eel River Peninsula Conservation Project.

Three separate properties Summer Camp Ranch, Garcia Creek Ranch and Foster Mountain Ranch collectively make up the conservation easement.

Landowners are encouraged to continue to manage their natural resources for sustainable timber production harvesting, hunting, fishing, grazing, and recreation.
 
Conditions of the easement require sustained yield forestry which allows more time for trees to grow before harvesting, maintenance of the habitat for wildlife, especially the tule elk and Pacific fisher, and grazing plans that reduce flammable grasses while maintaining valuable grasslands.
 
These lands are home to the tule elk, which are found only in California, and their survival is paramount.

They are the most specialized elk in North America and inhabit oak woodlands and grasslands.

From an estimated historic population of 500 thousand, there were less than 50 by 1875. Today there are approximately 4,000 tule elk in 22 different herds.
 
Funding for this project was provided by and in partnership with the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Cal Fire's Forest Legacy Program and the Wildlife Conservation Board.

The purchase of these working forest conservation easements was completed utilizing grant funding from the US Forest Service ($7 million), the Wildlife Conservation Board ($3.5 million) and a significant donation from the landowners.
 
Cal Fire has many years of experience with managing working forests conservation easements under its Forest Legacy Program and with the latest acquisition has now protected more than 100,000 acres.

Working forest conservation easements encourage active forest management, which can generate revenue needed to maintain intact forest tracts and prevent conversion to non-forest uses, increase growth, resilience, and health and protect wildlife while promoting carbon sequestration and mitigating climate change.

MENDOCINO NATIONAL FOREST – Authorities have eradicated thousands of marijuana plants and half a ton of trash from an illegal grow site in the Mendocino National Forest.

During an aerial overflight of the Mendocino National Forest, a large complex of marijuana gardens were located in the Brisco Creek drainage approximately five miles south of Elk Creek, according to the  Glenn Interagency Narcotics Task Force.

On Monday, task force agents along with the Glenn County Sheriff’s Office, US Forest Service and Fish and Game responded to the area to locate the plants. The agents were assisted by the Campaign Against Marijuana Planting.

During the operation, a total of 7,868 marijuana plants were found growing and eradicated from the drainage, officials reported.

In addition, the task force reported that it located and removed approximately 1,000 pounds of trash from the site. Agents also located one firearm.

The task force reported that it appeared that those responsible had been living in the drainage for the last couple months.

The growers were using a local creek to irrigate the illegal garden, had made small dams to contain the water, and removed trees and brush to plant the marijuana in, the task force said. The grow area covered about five to six acres.

Fertilizer also was being used in the garden which always has the potential to pollute the waterway, the task force said.

No arrests were made. The investigation into those responsible is continuing, the task force said.

LUCERNE, Calif. – Firefighters late Tuesday reached the halfway point in the effort to contain a wildland fire burning in the hills above Lucerne.

The Foothill fire was first reported at approximately 5:17 p.m. Tuesday in the area of Foothill and Country Club drives, according to Fire Captain Specialist Russell West of Cal Fire.

Agencies responding to the fire included Cal Fire, Northshore Fire, the United States Forest Service and the Lake County Sheriff Office, West said.

The fire extended up into the area's hillsides, where Cal Fire's air resources – including six air tankers and three helicopters – worked aggressively on it throughout the evening, according to reports from the scene.

Two helicopters, including Cal Fire's Copter 104, dropped water on the ground at the Marymount California University Lakeside Campus, known as “The Castle,” located on Country Club Drive, so they could land and stage at the building early Tuesday evening.

By nightfall, West said the fire had burned 60 acres of grass and brush, with forward progress stopped.

West reported late Tuesday that the incident was 50-percent contained.

Early in the incident, the sheriff's office had reported evacuating five homes. By the time of West's nighttime report, he said the structure threat had been mitigated and no evacuations or road closures were in place.

He said no structures were damaged in the fire.

Resources committed to the incident Tuesday night included 130 fire personnel, eight overhead/command personnel, 17 engine companies, four fire crews, two volunteer companies and two water tenders, according to West.

West said the fire's cause has not yet been determined.

The incident is the largest so far in the 2016 fire season.

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.

LUCERNE, Calif. – A wildland fire is burning actively in the hills above Lucerne, with state and local firefighters working to get it under control.

The Foothill fire was reported shortly after 5 p.m. Tuesday above Foothill Drive, according to radio reports.

Northshore Fire and Cal Fire have responded to the fire, with Cal Fire air attack, tankers and helicopters hitting the fire from the air.

Just before 7:30 p.m., Cal Fire said the fire was at 40 acres, with no containment.

It was reported to be moving further up into the hills and away from the town.

The Lake County Sheriff's Office reported that five homes have been evacuated, but said additional evacuations were not being ordered.

Authorities were asking people to stay out of the area while firefighters continued to work there. 

Additional details will be posted as they become available.

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, Calif. – Mendo Lake Credit Union, in partnership with the Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco WISH and IDEA programs, has announced the availability of down payment assistance opportunities aimed at helping first-time homebuyers.
 
The Workforce Initiative Subsidy for Homeownership Program, or WISH, and the Individual Development and Empowerment Account Program, or IDEA, incorporate matching grant provisions for lower-income individuals and families who are looking to make the move from renting to owning homes. 

“MLCU knows that accumulating the required down payment is one of the biggest roadblocks to homeownership for first time buyers. We are pleased to be offering funding that will help individuals and families become home owners for the first time,” said MLCU President and CEO Richard Cooper.
 
The programs include matching grants of up to $15,000 that are “forgivable loans.”

Once a five-year ownership period is reached, the loan (grant) is forgiven. If the home is sold or refinanced prior to the five-year retention period of the grant, a pro rata portion of the loan must be repaid.

Once enrolled in the WISH Program, members are required to close escrow within a year. Members enrolled in the IDEA Program have up to five years to close escrow but are also required to make saving deposits for 10 months throughout the length of the program into an IDA savings account.
 
To qualify for either program, individuals must meet eligibility requirements. Details about the grants and eligibility are available on the MLCU Website, www.mlcu.org , or from representatives at any of the four MLCU branches.

Additionally, interested individuals may call MLCU Mortgage Loan Manager Beth Brown at 707-467-4811.
 
Mendo Lake Credit Union is a member-owned community development financial cooperative and has been serving members’ financial needs since 1959. MLCU branches are located in Lakeport, Clearlake, Fort Bragg and Ukiah.

For more information on membership, contact the Mendo Lake Credit Union Member Service Center at 707-468-0161. 

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – A spring overflight led to the eradication late last week of two large illicit marijuana grow sites on federal lands and the arrest of a Bakersfield man.

Lt. Steve Brooks of the Lake County Sheriff's Office said that on Thursday the Sheriff’s Narcotics Unit and law enforcement personnel from allied agencies eradicated 17,536 marijuana plants on Bureau of Land Management property.

Brooks said authorities also arrested Alvar Santis Alvarez, 32.

The Sheriff’s Narcotics Unit conducted overflight missions in early April to locate and identify illegal marijuana cultivation sites within Lake County, Brooks said.

During the overflight detectives located two large scale marijuana cultivation operations on public land near Indian Valley Reservoir. Brooks said each site was estimated to contain several thousand marijuana plants.

On Thursday, after months of surveillance, Lake County Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Detectives along with law enforcement personnel from the Bureau of Land Management, United States Forest Service and the California Department of Justice, conducted an early morning arrest operation, Brooks said.

Brooks said the law enforcement personnel were split into two teams, which conducted their operations on both cultivation sites simultaneously. 

During the arrest operation on the northern cultivation site, detectives encountered Santis Alvarez tending to the marijuana plants, Brooks said.

Once Santis Alvarez noticed law enforcement was inside the cultivation site, he attempted to flee on foot. Brooks said Santis Alvarez was apprehended moments later by a law enforcement canine.

A second unidentified Hispanic male also fled the site and, after an extensive search, could not be located, Brooks said.

Brooks said the grow site was located on Bureau of Land Management public land.

The detectives noticed that the grow site was set up with a sophisticated gravity fed irrigation system, which was fed from a creek. Brooks said they also located a cooking area with a camp set up for two occupants.

The grow site contained 11,523 marijuana plants which were eradicated, Brooks said.

Brooks said the second cultivation site located on the east side of Indian Valley Reservoir also contained two Hispanic male suspects who fled on foot during the operation. Detectives searched the area and were unable to locate the suspects. 

The cultivation site also was located on Bureau of Land Management public land and was set up with a sophisticated gravity fed irrigation system, Brooks said.

Detectives said the suspects were pulling the water out of a natural spring. Brooks said the detectives also located a cooking area with a camp which was set up for two occupants.

Brooks said a total of 6,013 marijuana plants were located and eradicated from the site. 

Alvar Santis Alvarez was arrested for the cultivation of marijuana, possession of marijuana for sale and resisting arrest, Brooks said.

Alvarez was transported to the Lake County Hill Road Correctional Facility and booked, with bail set at $35,000. He remained in custody on Monday evening, according to booking records.

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