The fire was reported at Kingfisher Mobile Home Park, located at 5845 Old Highway 53, early Tuesday afternoon.

Lake County Fire Protection District Battalion Chief Willie Sapeta said firefighters were dispatched to the fire at approximately 12:16 p.m. and arrived exactly six minutes later.

Two engines, one water tender, a rescue unit, two battalion chiefs and two medics were dispatched to the incident, Sapeta said.

When firefighters arrived on scene, they found the older singlewide mobile home fully involved, according to Sapeta.

The older male resident suffered smoke inhalation and was transported to St. Helena Hospital Clearlake, Sapeta said.

Because of the man's injuries, Sapeta said medical personnel were discussing flying him out of the county for treatment.

As the firefighters were dealing with the call, a medical aid for a stroke victim was dispatched at a nearby home, Sapeta said.

Sapeta said it took about two and a half hours to contain and mop up the fire.

“It was an older mobile home. We had to tear everything apart and get into it,” to make sure a fire didn't reoccur, he said.

Sapeta said the home was a complete loss.

The cause is still under investigation, he said.

E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews , on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews .

Twenty-two-year-old Luis Antonio Calvillo was arrested on felony counts of kidnapping, rape and other sexual assault charges. Lake County Jail photo.

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – An Oakland man has been arrested in connection with an alleged kidnap and rape of a 22-year-old Clearlake woman.

Luis Antonio Calvillo, 22, faces felony charges of kidnapping, rape and other sexual assault charges, according to Capt. James Bauman of the Lake County Sheriff's Office.

Bauman said the sheriff's office responded to the alleged victim’s home in Clearlake late Saturday night, where she told deputies she had just been returned from a labor camp in Kelseyville where she had been held against her will and sexually assaulted.

The alleged victim reported that on Nov. 19 at about 4:30 p.m., a friend of hers – 32-year-old Julio Cesar Lopez of Clearlake – asked her to accompany him to Kelseyville to pick up a car he had bought so she could drive the car back to Clearlake for him, Bauman said.

Bauman said the woman said she agreed to go and left with Lopez to get the car at what was referred to as a “labor camp” on Sylar Lane in Kelseyville.

After arriving at the labor camp, Lopez told the woman he had to drive to Lakeport and he left her there with several other unidentified men, Bauman said.

The woman said she voluntarily went into a dwelling on the property to smoke some marijuana with the three men while waiting for Lopez to return, according to Bauman's report.

Bauman said that at least one of the men in the dwelling began asking the victim for sexual favors and when she attempted to leave the room, the men stood in the only doorway out and blocked her from exiting.

The alleged victim was reportedly held at the camp against her will throughout the night and into the next day, Bauman said.

During her alleged captivity, she was allegedly molested by one or more of the men and raped by at least one of them, according to Bauman.

Bauman said one of the men drove her to a Kelseyville gas station the following day and from there, she managed to get a ride to her home in Clearlake, where she then notified the sheriff’s department.

Deputies worked the case throughout Saturday night and into Sunday morning, when detectives were called in to assist with the investigation and secure a search warrant for the labor camp, Bauman said.

During the search warrant service, Calvillo was found at the camp and identified as one of the suspects, Bauman said. Calvillo was booked at the Lake County Jail with a $250,000 bail and an immigration hold.

Bauman said the identities and anticipated arrests of other suspects in the case are pending further investigation.

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In keeping with its mission of saving lives, the California Highway Patrol (CHP) is reminding motorists the Thanksgiving holiday is also a Maximum Enforcement Period (MEP).

The CHP’s holiday enforcement effort begins Wednesday, Nov. 24, at 6 p.m. and continues through 11:59 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 28.

Throughout the MEP all available officers will be looking for motorists who are a danger to themselves or others on our state’s roadways.

“During the holiday season many people are in a hurry and eager to get to their destination,” said CHP Commissioner Joe Farrow. “It’s important to remember that safety should never take a back seat; be safe, pay attention to the road, never drink and drive and always buckle up.”

Last year during CHP’s Thanksgiving holiday enforcement effort, 37 people were killed in collisions statewide; this represents a 12 percent increase from the previous year.

Among the 19 vehicle occupants who were killed in CHP jurisdiction, 26 percent were not wearing seat belts.

The Thanksgiving MEP coincides with the statewide “Click It or Ticket” campaign which runs through Nov. 29 and includes more than 150 law enforcement agencies in California.

“Seat belts save lives, and the majority of motorists in this state are buckling up,” said Commissioner Farrow. “However, there’s a small percentage who aren’t securing themselves or their child passengers inside their vehicle, and they’re putting lives at risk.”

In addition to motorists who fail to buckle up or drive at a safe speed, officers will be seeking to remove impaired drivers from the roadways.

Last year during the Thanksgiving MEP, CHP officers made 1,461 arrests for driving under the influence.

“Start the holidays off right; designate a non-drinking driver ahead of time and always wear your seat belt,” added Commissioner Farrow.

With the Christmas and New Year’s holiday right around the corner, the CHP is planning for similar maximum enforcement efforts next month.

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So far this week there have been several situations where people have become stranded or suffered exposure from the winter weather in the forest, as Lake County News has reported.

In one case, 12 people became stranded in the snow on the Mendocino County side of the forest on Sunday, with some of them not being reached by Search and Rescue until Monday, according to the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office.

Three people on the Lake County side of the forest above Upper Lake had to be assisted by a U.S. Forest Service law enforcement officer on Sunday, according to Mendocino National Forest spokesperson Tamara Schmidt.

Then on Tuesday morning, there was a report of travelers on Forest Highway 7 getting stuck, Schmidt said.

“Road conditions are pretty dicey,” Schmidt said.

She said that the Mendocino National Forest's off-highway vehicle trail system currently is closed because of the weather, which has included snow in the higher elevations over the past week.

Schmidt said the forest is seeing an increase in activity due to people going up to pick out Christmas trees, the permits for which went on sale last week.

The Christmas tree permits will be available through Dec. 17, and are good through Dec. 24. The cost is $10 per tree, with a limit of one tree per household.

Schmidt said the Mendocino National Forest sells about 3,000 tree permits annually, with the money going back into the general fund.

“It ends up going back to the treasury, so it's not really staying here in the forest,” she said.

To find out more about the Christmas tree permits and where to purchase them, see Mendocino National Forest Christmas tree permits available .

For those planning to visit the forest this weekend for outdoors activities and Christmas tree hunts, Schmidt urged them to be cautious.

If road conditions are deteriorating, turn back, she said.

Anyone driving into the forest should be prepared for cold and changing conditions, Schmidt said.

She suggested that visitors take common sense precautions, including telling people where they are going and when they are coming back, and leaving for the trip with a full tank of gas.

All Mendocino National Forest offices will be closed on Thanksgiving.

E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews , on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews .

Two cases of stranded travelers were reported on Sunday.

Just after noon on Sunday, three people were reported to be suffering from exposure to the new-fallen snow in the forest area above Upper Lake, according to radio reports.

Ken and Karen Petz of Northshore Fire Protection District tried to make their way up to assist.

“We could not reach them,” Karen Petz said Monday, noting, “We got as far as we could.”

However, Petz said that U.S. Forest Service personnel were able to assist the three individuals.

Lake County News left a message for a forest spokesperson at the headquarters office in Willows which was not returned before the end of business Monday.

On the Mendocino County side of the forest, 12 people had to be rescued after becoming stuck in the snow, according to Capt. Kurt Smallcomb of the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office.

Shortly before 7 p.m. Sunday the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office was advised that 12 people had traveled from the Willits and North County area to the Anthony Peak Range, located on the Mendocino National Forest east of Covelo, Smallcomb said.

Once in the Anthony Peak Range area, the dozen individuals became stuck in the snow and called for help from their cell phones, according to Smallcomb. Mendocino County Search and Rescue were dispatched to the location.

At 11 p.m. Sunday four of the stranded subjects were able to walk to the location where Search and Rescue group was staged, but Smallcomb said the weather and road conditions were such that the remaining eight couldn't be reached safely until it was daylight and there was a break in the weather.

He said the stranded subjects were advised to stay inside of their vehicle until help reached their location.

At 7:30 a.m. Monday deputies, along with Ross Liberty, utilized Mendocino County Sheriff's Office snowmobiles and were able to access the remaining eight individuals who had remained at their vehicles, he said.

Smallcomb said all 12 travelers were safely returned to their families.

With winter weather conditions able to change quickly, Smallcomb advised area residents and travelers to take the necessary precautions when visiting the Mendocino National Forest in the winter time.

E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews , on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews .

David Pike leaves a trail of Saints behind on his way to his 34th touchdown of the year, giving Middletown a 49-0 lead on the last play of the first half on Friday, November 19, 2010, in Middletown, Calif. Photo by Ed Oswalt.

MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – The Middletown Mustangs continued to roll through their football season, winning the first round of the North Coast Section (NCS) Division IV Tournament – their 10th victory in a row – and handing the St. Helena Saints a season-ending 56-0 trouncing Friday night in Middletown.

The shutout victory – the Mustangs' fourth in a row and their seventh in the last 10 games – was capped by a 66-yard David Pike run in the second quarter that gave him the all-time Lake County scoring record.

Middletown has outscored their opponents by a whopping 473-28 in their last 10 outings.

“We’ve had it fairly easy for the last nine weeks,” Mustangs Head Coach Bill Foltmer said after the game.

“We were overmatched,” a circumspect St. Helena Head Coach Brandon Farrell said about the Middletown squad. “They’re an awesome football team, and they’re well-coached, and they do everything right.”

Things started going right for the Mustangs early, when Pike reversed direction on Middletown’s opening possession of the game and swept 82 yards downfield for a touchdown and a 7-0 Mustang lead.

Before the first half ended, Pike had scored three more touchdowns – on carries of 37 yards, four yards and the 66-yard dash that landed him in the Lake County record books.

Middletown quarterback Kyle Brown eludes St Helena's Jacob Gallagher and throws to running back Jake Davis during first round of the North Coast Section Division IV Tournament on Friday, November 19, 2010, in Middletown, Calif. Brown completed 4 of 6 passes for 70 yards. Photo by Ed Oswalt.

“Well, obviously, Pike had a great game,” Foltmer said about the prolific running back. “And if Pike has a good game, that means your line is playing well. Defensively, I thought that we played solid across the board.”

Adding to the first half scoring total of 49 points for the Mustangs were scores from Jacob Davis (from 16 yards out), a 56-yard completion from quarterback Kyle Brown to John-Wesley Davis and an Andres Fernandez interception – initially deflected by Davis – run back 16-yards for a Middletown touchdown.

After Danny Cardenas went a perfect 7-for-7 in extra point attempts, the Mustangs took a commanding 49-0 lead going into halftime, and played their second string offense for the remainder of the game.

“They’re just a better football team,” Farrell said about Middletown. “There’s not much else you can say.”

Junior running back Nolan Tkachenko had the only touchdown of the second half – a 28-yard run – and backup kicker Tyler Drew made the point after to bring the final score of the night to 56-0.

“They did everything that we thought they were going to do,” Farrell said about the Mustangs. “They just did it really well.”

Middletown's Connor Chick (right) bounced off St. Helena's Charles Bertoli (left) and made it to the endzone after this second-quarter reception, but the play was negated by a holding call on Friday, November 19, 2010, in Middletown, Calif. Photo by Ed Oswalt.

Middletown finished the night with 449 yard total offense, led by Pike’s 133 yards in seven carries for three touchdowns, and Jacob Davis’s 110 yards in seven carries, with one touchdown.

“I think this might be the breakout game for Jake Davis,” Foltmer said about his running back. “He was much more physical and much more noticeable out there than the last couple of games. Hey, he’s playing on all cylinders along with Pike, so we’re where we need to be for the next phase.”

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The Mustangs play the second round of the NCS tournament starting at 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 27, when they’ll face off against the El Molino Lions (seeded fifth in the tournament), who are 7-4 following their first round win Saturday night over the Kelseyville Knights (now 7-4 and seeded 12th in the tournament).

During the first round of the North Coast Section Division IV Tournament on Friday, November 19, 2010, Danny Cardenas continued his nearly perfect season with seven point after conversions in as many attempts, but this field goal attempt was too low. Photo by Ed Oswalt.

“Getting by the second round has been a little bit tough for me,” Foltmer said, noting his team has lost in the second round of the NCS tournaments the last two seasons.

He added, “But you do what you can do, you prepare like you’ve been preparing all year long, and you hope that, later in a game, because they’re seniors, they’re going to step up.”

“I’m going to expect a little bit more out of them,” Foltmer said.

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Charles Bertoli on a nine-yard run for the Saints on Friday, November 19, 2010, in Middletown, Calif. His 46 yards on 11 carries accounted for all of the Saints' offense. Photo by Ed Oswalt.

The end of the year for most Americans means preparing for feasts, festivities and fun throughout the holiday season. But each year that joy is marred by tragedy when accidents and fires cause injuries and even death.

Thanksgiving remains the leading day for home cooking fires with three times as many cooking fires as an average day, according to statistics by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA).

In fact, on Thanksgiving Day 2009, Cal Fire crews responded to more than 600 emergency incidents and sadly one person died in a home fire.

“Every holiday the number of emergencies Cal Fire responds to increases,” said Chief Ken Pimlott, acting Cal Fire director. “While that’s our job, we certainly don’t want to respond to your house this Thanksgiving because there was a fire or someone was burned. We want everyone to have a safe holiday season.”

To help reduce the chance of fire and injuries associated with holiday cooking, Cal Fire offers the following tips:

• Never leave cooking food unattended. Stay in the kitchen when you are frying, grilling, or broiling food.

• If you leave the kitchen for even a short period time, turn off the stove.

• Cooking food should always be supervised by an adult.

• Turkey fryers should always be used outdoors a safe distance from buildings and other material that can burn. Never use on wooden decks or in garages.

• Children should not be permitted near a turkey fryer since hot oil can cause serious burn injuries.

• Provide a level surface that is free of ignitable materials when using turkey fryers.

• Make sure a fire extinguisher is handy at all times. Never use water to put out a grease fire.

• Use well-insulated potholders or oven mitts when touching pot or lid handles.

For more information on fire safety, visit www.fire.ca.gov.

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The fire was reported at the Lucerne on the Lake Park, located at 5877 Lake Street, shortly before 11 p.m.

Smoke initially was reported, and Northshore Fire Protection District responded to the scene.

Battalion Chief Steve Hart said the fire was confined to a bed and a wall in a bedroom.

“The cause was water leaking into an electrical outlet from the storm,” Hart said, with the water causing a short in the outlet, which threw a spark into the mattress.

The fire took about 30 minutes to contain and clean up, he said.

Hart said there were no injuries, and he estimated total damages at about $500.

E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews , on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews .

Snow powdered the hills above Upper Lake, Calif., following a stormy day on Saturday, November 20, 2010. Photo by Terre Logsdon.

Snow fell in the higher elevations, including Cobb and Upper Lake, according to reports received from residents.

There were reports of snow falling briefly in downtown Upper Lake, but the snow didn't stick.

However, snow was visible on the hills above the Northshore and on Cobb, as well as on the Hopland Grade.

The California Highway Patrol reported receiving a report of 4 inches of snow on the ground on Bartlett Springs Road in the middle of the afternoon.

Shortly after 5 p.m. a pickup was reported stuck in snow on Mt. Pitney, the CHP said.

Caltrans reported early Sunday morning that Highways 20, 29 and 175 remained open with no travel restrictions.

The National Weather Service issued a hazardous weather alert, in effect until noon Sunday, warning of continued snowfall above 2,000 feet across Northern California.

In southern Lake County, between 2 to 5 inches of snow were expected to fall above 2,000 feet by Sunday morning, and 8 to 12 inches near or above 3,000 feet, the National Weather Service predicted.

The agency reported that scattered snow showers around the North State may continue until Monday.

E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews , on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews .

California Highway Patrol officers review the scene of a semi truck crash near Upper Lake, Calif., on Monday, November 22, 2010. Photo by Gary McAuley.

UPPER LAKE, Calif. – A Monday morning crash involving a semi truck resulted in minor injuries for the driver and blocked a portion of Highway 20 for several hours.

The crash occurred at Mid Lake Road near Blue Lakes just before 8:30 a.m., according to the California Highway Patrol.

Northshore Fire Battalion Chief Pat Brown said the semi truck driver tried to dodge an animal on the highway and went into the embankment.

The CHP reported that the crash blocked the eastbound lane, with the westbound lane later reported to be blocked as well.

Brown said about 70 gallons of diesel was spilled as a result of the crash.

“We captured some of it but not all of it,” he said.

None of the diesel went into Blue Lakes; Brown said it stayed in a culvert area.

Brown said he and Northshore Fire Chief Jim Robbins responded to the scene, along with two medics and an engine.

Also responding were CHP and the Lake County Sheriff's Office, and Lake County Environmental Health, the CHP said.

Brown said Environmental Health actually took control of the scene along with CHP.

CHP said the roadway was fully reopened at 12:20 p.m.

Later in the day, at about 2 p.m., a FedEx truck carrying two people reportedly overturned on New Long Valley Road near Clearlake Oaks.

Brown said there were no injuries in that incident.

E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews , on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews .

The driver of the truck reportedly tried to dodge an animal on Highway 20 near Upper Lake, Calif., when he went into the embankment on the morning of Monday, November 22, 2010. Photo by Gary McAuley.