Several thousand people fled the blaze, some after ensuring their goats and chickens were safe. CAL FIRE’s incident information page showed almost 1,700 firefighters, 200 fire engines and 12 helicopters were engaged in the battle against the blaze. Right across the street, a whole stretch of downtown was burned to rubble. Below are a few organizations aiding the affected communities in Lake County.
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The scene in Lower Lake was of devastation as homes, businesses and vehicles were torched by the blaze.
A fast-moving, wind-driven wildfire near Lower Lake, California, has destroyed at least 175 buildings in the town, including an estimated 100 homes, and has forced the evacuation of some 4,000 people.
The blaze in San Luis Obispo County, about 180 miles northwest of Los Angeles, has destroyed 12 structures and injured two people. The fire has also burned the post office, a winery, a Habitat for Humanity office and several businesses.
“Those people have been through a lot”, he said.
Vets from a veterinary hospital in nearby Middletown, the scene last year’s deadly wildfire, helped stabilize a mini horse suffering from smoke inhalation and burns to its nose and rear.
Authorities are investigating whether Pashilk had a hand in three major fires past year in Lake county including the Jerusalem, Rocky and Valley fires.
Rick Davis, 40, told the San Francisco Chronicle that he went to lunch in Lower Lake and rushed home when he heard the fire exploded. Berlant said crews gained ground on the fire by hitting it hard Monday with fire retardant drops from air tankers.
In Southern California, forecasters warned of high fire danger due to a heat wave and gusty winds. It burned through more than 74,600 acres (30,189 hectares) near scenic Big Sur, destroying 57 homes after it began on July 22.
The new fire struck in the heart in Lower Lake, a town of about 1,300 that draws working-class families and retirees with housing prices lower than the San Francisco Bay Area.
In wetter times, the region was not visited by the kind of wildfires that now batter it.
By Tuesday morning the Clayton Fire was 20 percent contained, according to Cal Fire. Comstock said when his wife sees tall grass, she wonders aloud when the property owner will cut it.
“We just hunkered down and sat there and waited for the fire to blow over”, he said. Did they get new evidence after Saturday’s fire?
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The Clayton fire started Saturday off Highway 29 and Clayton Creek, south of the community of Lower Lake in Lake County, according to Cal Fire. “We feel we were put through hell past year and now we are in it again”.
