LAKE COUNTY>> At Thursday’s community meeting which was streamed live to residents throughout the county, Calfire and local government officials once again addressed ongoing progress and issues relating to the Mendocino Complex Fire which at last count had consumed a record 370,294 acres, was 76 percent contained with full containment expected by Sept. 1.
Calfire officials noted that although portions around the River fire are now 100 percent contained, there will still be some presence of fire equipment to monitor that area, as well as crews doing a lot of suppression repair.
They noted “things are looking very well on the southern portion of the Ranch Fire,” despite the fact there was a lot of visible smoke during the day Thursday.
Although there is “Quite a bit of work in the western portion of the fire, in the area just east of Potter Valley,” officials said there was enough progress to allow them to reduce some of the mandatory evacuations to a warning, noting this was good news for folks who will be able to get back to their homes.
According to the briefing, in addition to the Potter Valley area, residents were allowed to get back into the Stonyford area in Colusa County.
Mandatory evacuations were still in effect late Thursday in areas west of Lodoga-Stonyford Road including Fouts Springs Road, Goat Mountain Road, Cooks Spring Road, Walker Ridge Road and Brim Road in Colusa County.
Lake County Sheriff and Office of Emergency Services Director Brian Martin said that although the meeting was largely focused on recovery, officials are still responding to the fire as it progresses.
“As of 4 p.m. this afternoon we’ve reduced the evacuation notification to advisory status on Barlett Springs Road,” he said, adding that If residents go into areas that had been previously evacuated, they should be mindful of what they are getting into.
“Just because the fire is out doesn’t mean the danger is gone,” he said. “If you are out active in ash and debris take precautionary measures. First of all, we advise that you don’t, but if you find yourself in a situation where you need to, take proper care to cover your eyes with goggles, use gloves, use a particle mask.”
Martin also stated residents should take steps to prepare themselves and should be mindful of kicking up toxins found in ash particles.
“Sweeping this material up is not the proper way to do it, make sure you wet it down when you can. We don’t want to do anything that causes these particles to become airborne,” he said.
Chair of the Lake County Board of Supervisors Jim Steele, whose district was also heavily impacted by the fires, paid his respects to Battalion Chief Matt Burchett of the Draper City Fire Department who perished during the Ranch fire.
“Our hearts and thoughts go out to his family,” he said, adding that residents have lost homes and people are going to be on the recovery from that on the heels of the Pawnee fire, “we’re still recovering from that,” he stated, warning residents that there is still a long fire season ahead.
Steele said if anyone is interested in donations to help out fire victims, they should make them out to the North Coast Opportunities nonprofit which is in charge of making sure the funds get distributed for that purpose.
He noted residents should remain mindful about their neighbors at all times.
“If you are a risk to your neighbor or they are a risk to you, let your fire battalion chief know,” he said. “It’s a new normal, a new tomorrow for us. We are not only going to see our way through this, but we are going to make a better Lake County and we are going to show the rest of the state how it’s done.”
County public health officials spoke about the norovirus outbreak in one of the shelters during the evacuations. Officials said they wanted to let the public know the school has been thoroughly cleaned and disinfected, and from a public health standpoint they consider the norovirus out break in the community under control.
A question and answer session from questions sent via facebook followed the presentations where residents’ questions about various topics were answered including possible water contamination and the status of drinking water, ash removal procedures, and where residents can go to obtain fire assistance resources.
City officials reminded residents the Local Assistance Center located at the Lucerne Alpine senior Center will remain open one more day on Friday Aug. 17 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. designed to assist people with everything from food replacement, to concerns about debris removal, replacement of records and other valuable information.
City of Lakeport Mayor Mireya Turner said the city has reopened for business and can be reached for all services at City Hall during normal business hours.
Nathan Spangler, recovery coordinator for the Ranch and River fires said the County’s Air Quality Management District is actively managing the air quality throughout the county. He said all areas of the county may experience unhealthy air quality as smoke settles in from the basin.
“With sports and schools activity starting, there is concern about air quality throughout the county,” he said, adding that PurpleAir monitors have been provided to main school campuses throughout the county so schools can do real smoke monitoring.
