CLEARLAKE — Authorities are investigating a suspicious house fire that gutted a Mendocino Drive home in Clearlake just before midnight on Monday, according to Lake County Fire Protection District (LCFPD) Battalion Chief George Murch.
“It was a two-story, single-family dwelling with a wooden frame. It had a boat in the carport, which appears to be the area of origin. But it”s still under investigation,” Murch said.
The ski boat was on a trailer not attached to a vehicle in the house”s attached carport. Murch said no one was inside the vacation home at the time, and he is still trying to contact the owners. The only contact information for the out-of-town owners was found on utility bills, he said. Murch said there were no injuries to people or animals, but the two-story home sustained major damage to both stories and to the living room and kitchen areas.
The LCFPD sent two engines, a water tender and approximately 12 volunteer and career firefighters. CAL FIRE sent two engines as well. The fire agencies stopped the blaze before it spread to a state-managed wildland area on a steep upward slope behind the house, an area covered with grass and oak trees, according to Murch.
“We were able to keep it out of there, but there was quite a bit of potential,” Murch said.
Murch said the boat was destroyed. Investigators were on scene for more than three hours, and Murch said the LCFPD expects to know more about how the fire started after preliminary investigation.
“It”s probably going to be a couple of days, because we have some evidence that we need to look at,” Murch said.
A home across Mendocino Drive from the home was not threatened, according to Murch.
Contact Tiffany Revelle at trevelle@record-bee.com, or call her directly at 263-5636 ext. 37.
