Late on Friday afternoon, a new spark caused communications lines to heat up. Fire broke out along Seigler Canyon Road near Lower Lake. With so many firefighters nearby, however, crews were able to respond quickly.
“We got a bunch of people there to knock it out,” said Cal Fire’s Jeremy Gaeta.
The brief outburst consumed just 3 acres and reportedly clipped power to some areas. Otherwise, it was a flurry of excitement in a day spent grinding around the stubborn Rocky Fire, bringing it a few percentage points closer to death.
As of 9 p.m. on Friday, fire crews again held Rocky at 69,600 acres destroyed — the same total as Thursday morning. And they closed the containment lines around 50 percent of the active perimeter. Authorities also reopened Highways 20 and 16, along with 46 local roads, including New Long Valley Road into Spring Valley and Walker Ridge Road.
Cache Creek Winery, threatened when Rocky jumped Highway 20 on Monday, reopened their tasting room as soon as staff arrived Friday, not long after 10 a.m.
Only a few areas remain under evacuation orders. These include Double Eagle Ranch, Valley Road and parts of Morgan Valley Road. The Advisory for Clearlake east of Highway 53 was also lifted.
As people returned home — or to what remained of home, as 43 residences have been destroyed by Rocky — the county’s emphasis shifted toward recovery. The Red Cross, along with local community groups, opened a Client Service Center on Friday, providing information and resources for those affected by the fire, at the Highlands Senior Service Center. On Monday, a Local Assistance Center will begin connecting residents with recovery sources.
Along the containment lines and Highway 20, however, fire crews kept their attention focused on “honey pots” — stumps, trees and other smoldering tinder that may again burst into flame.
“Crews are hitting it hard,” Gaeta said. “But there will be areas of ignition.”
As if to prove the point, smoke began oozing from a scarred tree Friday afternoon, not far from the cars and trucks rushing by on Highway 20. A mop up crew rushed up the slope to stamp out any danger.
Rocky continues to smolder along the perimeter and access to some of the hot spots remains difficult. Cal Fire posted firefighters at strategic spots along Highway 20 on Friday, ready to pounce on any smoke. Trucks from the Nevada Division of Forestry, Los Angeles and other departments lined the newly reopened road.
However, dozens of engines were pulled off the line, directed toward other fires. Six fewer aircraft patrolled the skies over Rocky , more than 20 bulldozers headed elsewhere and the number of men and women committed to containment was cut to 2,966 — down from some 3,500 on Thursday.
“When we get to a certain percentage, we start winding down,” Gaeta pointed out.
Gaeta traveled to Lake County from Riverside, but he’s worked fires in the north several times over the past few years.
Cal Fire set the date of expected containment for the Rocky Fire at Aug. 13, just a few days away. Gaeta refrains from firm dates.
“When things hit 100 percent, for me that’s containment,” he said. “It’s the ‘what if’ factor.”
