Lower Lake >> “This is going to be a long-term fire.”
That assessment of the massive Rock Fire burning out of control in south and eastern Lake County came Sunday from State Senator Mike McGuire (D-Santa Rosa) who represents Lake County. McGuire also announced that National Guard units are being activated to aid firefighters.
McGuire made his remarks to an anxious crowd of about 400 people who packed into the Lower Lake High School gymnasium Sunday afternoon for a town hall meeting.
The senator was one of about a dozen local, regional and state officials who updated the crowd on the Rocky Fire that’s raging out of control in three areas of Lake County, from the Colusa County line to Lower Lake.
As of Sunday afternoon, additional firefighting resources were on the way to Lake County to fight the fire, including National Guard troops, according to McGuire.
“An additional 400 fire crews are being deployed to the California fires,” McGuire said. “Resources are flowing into Lake County.”
Also, 14 California National Guard teams have been activated but won’t be on the fire lines until Wednesday, McGuire added.
The incoming resources include Black Hawk helicopters and two C-130 air tankers from Wyoming and Colorado. McGuire also said California has requested two helicopters from the Nevada National Guard.
President Barack Obama has issued an executive order providing money to the state through a federal Disaster Relief Grant, McGuire said. Also, Gov. Jerry Brown has declared a state of emergency due to the California wildfires.
“Our job is to make sure that Lake County has the resources needed to get through this,” McGuire added.
Among the agencies represented at the Rock Fire Committee meeting were the American Red Cross, Lake County Animal Control, Congressman Mike Thompson (D-CA), the Bureau of land management, the Clearlake police and fire departments, Lake County Sheriff’s Office and Cal Fire.
The meeting started with short statements by various public officials, including Cal Fire Division Chief Linda Green, who gave a history of the five-day-old fire, which started on Wednesday as a structure fire on Rocky Creek Road in Lower Lake, she said.
Lake County Sheriff Brian Martin talked about preparing for an evacuation and explained the difference between an evacuation advisory and a mandatory evacuation order.
The Morgan Valley evacuees have not been able to return to their homes since they left on Wednesday and Martin said they may have to wait longer.
“We will not lift these evacuations until we think it is safe to do so,” the sheriff said. For those who may receive evacuation orders in the future, Martin added, “Please, please, please heed our notifications.”
Scott Lindgren, Cal Fire’s incident commander for the Rocky Fire, told the crowd that more evacuations may be needed. Several hours later, his words seemed prophetic when the Lake County Sheriff’s Office issued mandatory evacuation orders for Ogulin Canyon Road to Highway 53 in Clearlake and for all of Spring Valley’s nearly 900 residents.
“We’re not out of the woods on this fire yet,” Lindgren said.”We have a long road to go.”
Lindgren was one of several fire officials that talked about how unique the Rocky Fire is to other wildland fires, calling it, “Unprecedented fire behavior” that make it difficult to predict how it will act in the future.
Explained Cal Fire Public Information Officer Captain Joe Fletcher from Napa, “The fuel is so much drier now and the wind is always the biggest factor,” he said. “It’s much more erratic and it moves much quicker.”
Fletcher said it is also “very unusual” for a fire to have three branches as does the Rocky Fire.
A question and answer session followed the official presentations. Question topics included road closures, air quality, how to volunteer to help and the notification process for evacuees.
One question dealt with the upcoming start of classes in the Konocti Unified School District. District Superintendent Donna Becnel answered that the schools plan to open on Aug. 12 but added, “…things can change. We expect to know in the next few days.”
In response to a question about the status of St. Helena Hospital Clear Lake, Clearlake Police Chief Craig Clausen said the hospital is on an evacuation advisory. He also said the hospital is designated as a shelter-in-place facility.
However, Commander Lindgren aded, “If the hospital needs to be evacuated, plans are in place.”
Rumors have circulated in Clearlake the past several days about the hospital being under mandatory evacuation and closed.
On another topic, transportation plans are in place to assist people without vehicles to evacuate, added Cal Fire’s Lindgren.
Clearlake resident Denise Cole came to the community gathering to learn the current size of the fire. She lives in the area of 20th and Boyles avenues and said the fire advanced right up to her property.
“I’ve been on edge for five days now,” she said. “I have all of my very important stuff by the front door, including a grab and go bag and photos and documents. Everything else I will leave.”
As of 3 p.m. Sunday, the fire was three miles from her house. “I’m still worried,” she said. “Three miles is nothing for this fire.”
Should she have to evacuate, she will bring along her two children and two dogs.
“My dogs are fine,” she added. “I’m the one that’s a mess.”
