- Elizabeth Larson
- Posted On
Jerusalem fire continues to grow, Rocky fire closes in on full containment
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Fire officials said the Jerusalem fire is continuing its spread through wildland although containment has risen, while to the north the effort to fully contain the Rocky fire took another step forward on Wednesday.
Cal Fire said early Wednesday night that the Jerusalem fire's size was up to 20,500 acres, a growth of 4,000 acres during the course of the day, while containment nearly tripled to 16 percent.
The Jerusalem fire, which began Sunday afternoon in the Jerusalem Valley area northeast of Middletown is still expected to be contained fully by Aug. 17, Cal Fire said.
Meanwhile, on the 69,636-acre Rocky fire to the north, which began burning July 29 to the east of Lower Lake and later ran north of Highway 20 east of Clearlake Oaks, containment rose to 95 percent by Wednesday evening, according to Cal Fire.
Cal Fire had expected to fully contain the Rocky incident by Thursday, but has now pushed the estimated date for full containment to Saturday.
Fire maps Cal Fire issued on Wednesday morning showed that several areas of the Jerusalem fire have burned up against – or into – the Rocky fire's southern perimeter.
Cal Fire spokesman Scott McLean also confirmed on Wednesday evening to Lake County News that the fire, which had crossed into Napa County earlier this week, has now moved just inside the borders of Yolo County.
Officials said the fire continues to burn into remote, difficult-to-access areas with dense vegetation and a lack of improved roads, with the added complications of winds that continue to be erratic.
Cal Fire officials said the winds continue to push the Jerusalem fire to the east and away from heavily populated areas.
However, Cal Fire spokesman Daniel Berlant said in a Wednesday report that winds during the day had died down on the Jerusalem fire and allowed firefighters to make progress, adding that the Rocky fire has acted as a containment line on the Jerusalem fire.
Cal Fire said 50 structures remain threatened by the Jerusalem fire, with radio reports indicating that firefighters on the ground and in the air continued their efforts to protect residences and outbuildings throughout the day.
Scanner traffic earlier in the afternoon and evening reported that a large fire ball had gone up from an area near a metal building that was surrounded by vehicles in the Jerusalem fire burn area, causing air attack to avoid the location.
McLean told Lake County News that the explosion – which was in an area north of Oat Hill and west of Berryessa Knoxville Road – could have come from a propane bottle or one of the older, broken down vehicles near the building, which he said wasn't damaged.
All mandatory and advisory evacuation orders remain in place on the Jerusalem fire, officials said. The full list of impacted areas is found at http://cdfdata.fire.ca.gov/incidents/incidents_details_info?incident_id=1193 .
An evacuation shelter is open at Kelseyville High School, telephone 415-307-4503, officials said.
An animal evacuation center is staged at Spruce Grove Storage, 11360 Spruce Grove Road, in Lower Lake, according to Lake County Animal Care and Control Director Bill Davidson. That center can be reached by phone at 707-263-0278.
Authorities said continuing road closures are in effect at Jerusalem Valley Road at Spruce Grove Road, Morgan Valley Road from Reiff Road southeast to Napa County line, Reiff Road from Morgan Valley east to Yolo County line and Berryessa Knoxville Road from Lake Berryessa north.
Resources on the Jerusalem fire increased again on Wednesday, with assigned personnel totaling 2,053, plus 140 engines, 57 hand crews, 28 dozers, 21 water tenders, 15 helicopters and four air tankers, Cal Fire said.
Spot fires were reported in the Jerusalem Grade Road area, inside an area that has already burned, on Wednesday evening, based on radio traffic.
Radio reports from the scene indicated air operations ceased for the day just after 8 p.m. At about the same time, firefighters were reported to be wrapping up a phase of firing operations.
Drift smoke from the Jerusalem fire was continuing to result in smoke checks for firefighters in the area of the Double Eagle Ranch east of Clearlake Oaks, which is within the Rocky fire area, according to reports from the scene.
Cal Fire said there are still 361 firefighters assigned to the Rocky fire, along with 24 engines, 14 dozers, eight water tenders, six hand crews and two helicopters.
Firefighters in the Rocky fire boundaries are continuing to actively patrol and work on mop up, dealing with what Cal Fire reported are isolated pockets of smoldering fuel deep within the interior of the burn with minimal fire activity near the perimeter.
Overnight radio traffic had reported the discovery of a burning tree along Highway 20 in the Rocky fire area.
As the Rocky fire nears final containment, mop up of hot spots and patrolling of fire lines is set to continue for several days, Cal Fire said, while fire crews also continue with making repairs to fire suppression areas.
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.