CLEARLAKE — Lake County Fire Protection District had its hands full Monday beginning with a roadside fire that ignited early afternoon. Requests for fire suppression response continued into the evening.
Fire personnel spent about half an hour extinguishing and mopping up the wildland fire near the edge of State Route 53 north of 18th Avenue. Preliminary investigation suggests that the fire was caused by a mechanical failure. About two hours after clearing the vegetation fire on the highway units were summoned to St. Vincent DePaul thrift store in Lower Lake for a possible electrical fire. Firefighters were in the process of locating the origin of the fire, believed to be contained within the walls, when response was requested for a fire at the water treatment plant on Pond Road. CalFire also responded to the Pond Road incident.
The fire at Pond Road is believed to have been started by a bird into a power pole, evident by the bird”s remains atop of the pole. Units remained on scene for several hours due to large piles of wood on the property that were presenting a danger in reigniting the fire.
At 9 p.m. units were requested in the area of Hillcrest and Crandall avenues for a report of heavy smoke in the area. The first unit was on scene within two to three minutes and advised no visual on the fire. An additional unit then advised response from Pond Road.
The reporting party was located on Hillcrest Avenue, at which time the origin of the smoke was determined.
The fire was ultimately located on Spruce Avenue and quickly extinguished. Cause of the Spruce fire is under investigation.
Contact Denise Rockenstein at drockenstein@clearlakeobserver.com or call her directly at 994-6444, ext. 11.
