CLEARLAKE — Fire protection crews continued cleanup Friday from a fire that tore through an entire block the prior evening.
The blaze involved multiple structures and a wildland area situated between Lakeshore Drive and Arrowhead Road in Clearlake Park.
The fire ignited at about 4:30 p.m.; command on the incident was terminated at 9:44 p.m. Lake County Fire Protection District (LCFPD).
Battalion Chief Charlie Diener said units responded at about midnight for a hot spot in one of the burned structures. “It was well within the burn and posed no threat,” he said. “We were back out there this morning continued mop up.”
A total of three homes and part of an outbuilding were destroyed in the blaze that raged for about an hour and 15 minutes before it was considered “contained.” Containment was termed as “shaky” because there was a high potential for spotting, Diener said.
According to Diener, the blaze destroyed two homes on Lakeshore Drive as well as a newer, multi-level home on Arrowhead Road. Diener said that suppression efforts on the Arrowhead home were briefly suspended when power lines went down. “We had to wait for PG&E to get here and take care of the lines before we could put more water on it,” he said.
The fire spread rapidly with the dry vegetation between the two streets fueling it. Airborne embers and winds blowing to the east caused the fire to jump across Colusa Avenue and Lakeshore Drive, where residents joined in the suppression effort with garden hoses.
“It went up like a matchbook,” David Kitley, who lives on the southern side of Lakeshore Drive across from the fire location, said.
The fire caused alarm to residents in three blocks as well as those living in the hills to the west of the fire. “The fire department did a great job,” Marty Bramlage, who lives on the hillside west of the fire scene, said. Bramlage said a change in wind direction could have likely spread the fire to his home.
Mike Bronson has a home located to the west, immediately next door to the home that burned on Arrowhead. He said it wasn”t until a CAL FIRE dozer came through and bore a fire line between his residence and the one burning that he felt any ease in the situation.
Animals were also alarmed during the incident. At one home on Arrowhead Road, neighbors said the resident refused to leave because his dog was hiding underneath his house. The dog was eventually coaxed out and both the resident and his pet moved to a safer location. On Lakeshore Drive, Neka Kirtley said she saw a raccoon run from the fire. “It (the raccoon) was smoldering and it ran across my feet.” She said the animal took refuge beneath one of her neighbor”s homes. Multiple agencies provided LCFPD with mutual aid. Engines, water tankers and firefighters responded from Clearlake Oaks/Northshore, Kelseyville, Lakeport and South Lake County Fire Protection District. CAL FIRE responded with a several engines as well as aerial support. Hand crews from Konocti Conservation Camp also responded Thursday and assisted with mop up again on Friday. Diener said that one fire fighter suffered a minor ankle injury in the incident and a canine was injured as well. The cause of the fire remains under the investigation of LCFPD.
