HIDDEN VALLEY LAKE >> The confidence won by weekend gains over the Rocky Fire were shaken on Sunday afternoon when fire broke out near the Jerusalem Grade east of Middletown and Hidden Valley Lake. By 6 p.m. it had spread over 200 acres.
As of 7 a.m. Tuesday, the Jerusalem Fire had swept up 12,000 acres — doubling in size over night — and fire crews rushed over from Rocky had not managed to cage it. Containment was listed as 0 percent.
“It’s drought-driven,” observed Cal Fire’s Julie Rider. “We’ve got erratic winds and this crazy topography.”
Jerusalem sparked at approximately 3:40 p.m. on Sunday for unknown reasons in a remote area, sending up a large plume of smoke. Almost immediately, authorities issued evacuation orders for the Jerusalem Valley east of Spruce Grove.
On Monday afternoon the blaze charged to the northeast. The Lake County Sheriff’s Office added advisory orders for several other areas, including parts of Grange Road, Butts Canyon Road and Morgan Valley Road.
Fire crews were working on perimeter control while allowing Jerusalem to spread toward an expired section of Rocky.
“It’s burning close,” said Mike Yen of Cal Fire. “It might reach Rocky and it will stop.”
For the second time in just over a week, flames crossed into land owned by the Six Sigma Ranch & Winery. Rocky clipped 250 acres of ranchland. On Monday, Jerusalem flickered in the valley well below one of the operation’s vineyards.
“I know the firefighters are doing everything they can to keep the flames away from the vines,” Six Sigma’s Jacquelyn Farrington reported.
In a sense it was fortunate Jerusalem broke out near Rocky. As it gutted dense brush and scoured steep terrain on Sunday evening, Cal Fire quickly directed crews already in place nearby to the new threat.
At 7 a.m. on Monday, 545 firefighters, 34 engines, 14 bulldozers and a number of aircraft were arrayed against Jerusalem. Twelve hours later, more than 1,100 crew members, 83 engines and 17 aircraft hammered at its edges. A line of 23 bulldozers were already at work cutting containment lines.
“Crews are coming in,” Yen said. “It definitely helped.”
The Jerusalem Fire has proven capable of high intensity runs and some spotting. Cal Fire already issued as estimate containment date of Aug. 17.
To Yen, however, that is just an estimate.
“Winds can pick up, you can have one bad day — anything can happen,” he said.
