LAKEPORT >> Fire crews responded to a structure fire on Wednesday that ignited during the afternoon hours in a residential area of Hartley Street in Lakeport.
Three units responded to the scene with fire officials from Lakeport, Kelseyville, and Northshore to a trailer belching black smoke.
Most of the land where the trailer settled on was affected, as well as several spots located just behind the property, used by residents to keep two horses.
Lakeport Fire Chief Doug Hutchison said about an eighth of one acre was burnt.
“With the amount of disaster that occurred here, it is too early to determine the cause of the fire,” said Hutchison. “It might even be too hard to know at all.”
With firefighters responding to the scene immediately, no other nearby homes were affected.
Lee Jones, who lives adjacent to the affected area, said he was in Kelseyville when he received a call from his daughter.
“We don’t know what happened. The land seemed to have one area with very dry grass, but it could have also been some electrical malfunctioning from the trailer,” he said. “My daughter lives just right down the hill from this property and she gave me a call, worried that the fire was at or near my home.”
Jones added that he had spoken a couple times with the resident, a woman who he believes is a nurse, a couple of times.
In addition to two horses, two dogs were found. One of the dogs was spotted walking and sniffing the burnt down area after firefighters had put down the blaze.
Locals reported seeing the smoke as far as south of Main Street to swimmers in the Westshore Swimming Pool in Clear Lake High School.
Hutchison said the main concern was that due to the dry grass the chance of a fire to return with afternoon breeze was possible. Fire personnel spent several hours thereafter to assure that did not happen.
