On the west side of Clear Lake, the River Fire closed Highway 175 between Hopland and Finley and forced evacuations of Lakeport and neighboring communities. Highway 20 opened to all traffic Wednesday morning. Widespread road closures have included shutting down Highway 20 east of Potter Valley Road to the Highway 53 junction east of Clear Lake. Redwood Riders Arena in Redwood Valley is accepting horses, and Mendocino County Animal Care in Ukiah is accepting small animals. Daily Cal Fire briefings and maps showed the Ranch Fire’s steady march eastward across the mountains north of Blue Lakes and the lakeside communities of Upper Lake, Nice, Lucerne, Glenhaven, Clearlake Oaks and Clearlake.Įvacuation centers are located at Mendocino College in Ukiah, Lower Lake High School, Twin Pine Casino, Middletown high and middle schools, Mountain Vista Middle School and Colusa County Veterans Hall. Forest Service.Īll three fires triggered rounds of advisory and mandatory evacuations as Cal Fire, the lead agency for fires on state lands, marshalled resources to cut firelines around and protect populated areas.įor much of the past week, the entire north shore of Clear Lake was under mandatory evacuation. That fire was confined to 972 acres with now 85 percent containment. 1.Ī third fire - the Eel Fire - began at about 1 p.m., Tuesday, July 31, 10 miles east of Covelo in Mendocino National Forest, prompting evacuations from the town and environs. The massive multi-agency response now includes 381 engines, 96 water tenders, 19 helicopters, 63 hand crews and 89 dozers backed by air tankers from throughout the state.Īs of Wednesday morning, the combined area of both fires was 300,086 acres at 47 percent containment, with full containment estimated for Sept. By early this week, the fire was burning northward toward Cow Mountain and surrounding communities. The same tinder dry fuel, heat and wind that fanned the Ranch Fire pushed the River Fire eastward over the mountains into Lake County to the doorstep of Lakeport, Kelseyville and neighboring communities. The River Fire ignited at 1:01 p.m., July 27, six miles north of Hopland along Old River Road. As of Wednesday, the fire was actively moving north toward the Snow Mountain Wilderness and east toward Leesville and Lodoga. Despite a swift response by firefighters, extreme heat, low humidity and unpredictable winds stoked the blaze, gradually driving it into Lake County.īy the 10-day mark, the Ranch Fire had swept east into Colusa County on Lake County’s northeastern flank. The Ranch Fire was reported at 12:03 p.m., July 27, eight miles northeast of Ukiah near milepost marker 39 on Highway 20. The smoke and flames generated by the Mendocino Complex, the 173,522-acre Carr Fire at Redding, the 94,992-acre Ferguson Fire at Yosemite and other blazes across California are plainly visible in satellite images. One hundred sixteen residences and 105 other structures have been destroyed, 27 residences and other building damaged, and 10,300 structures remain threatened due to the Ranch and River fires. Two firefighters have been injured, but there have been no civilian injuries or fatalities, Cal Fire reports. Of those 4,088 were on the Mendocino Complex Fire as of Wednesday morning, including Austrians and a crew of 41 New Zealanders who joined the fight Tuesday morning after a 13 and a-half-hour flight. More than 14,000 firefighters from California and many other states are working the front lines statewide. They are among 17 major fires in California. 7, the region scorched by the 251,166-acre Ranch and 48,920-acre River fires was declared the biggest in recorded California history.īy press time Wednesday morning, Cal Fire reported the Mendocino Complex Fire, as the two fires are known, had consumed 300,086 acres in Mendocino, Lake and Colusa counties since igniting July 27.
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