At least 1,500 structures are threatened after the fire burned the post office, a winery and a Habitat for Humanity office.
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In central California, a wildfire that broke out Saturday afternoon forced the evacuation of 135 homes south of Lake Nacimiento, the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s office said.
Cal Fire spokesman Daniel Berlant said Sunday that an initial damage assessment showed four homes leveled by the blaze.
FEMA on Monday said the federal agency had approved grants for those affected by the Clayton Fire.
“Emotions are still incredibly raw from the Valley Fire”, state Sen. The order affects Lower Lake and Clearlake, a neighbouring community of about 15,000.
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection is recommending residents near the areas of wild fire to brace themselves and prepare for possible evacuation, stating that the fire activity could change in a moment’s notice.
The fire has burned at least 1 square mile, with full containment expected Sunday, Cal Fire Chief Tom McEwen told KSBY-TV. The fire had tripled in size by Sunday. The fire is burning aggressively toward the north, crossing Morgan Valley Road and Cache Creek, and is impacting the communities of Lower Lake and Clearlake.
A bulldozer operator died on July 26 when his tractor rolled over as he helped property owners battle the flames, the sixth wildfire fatality in California this year.
“As it grows, the fire is pushing heat in front of it and it gets critically dry”, Cal Fire spokeswoman Suzie Blankenship said.
In central California, similar conditions led the wildfire near Lake Nacimiento, about 180 miles north-west of Los Angeles, to explode from two to almost seven square miles, Cal Fire spokesman Bennet Milloy said.
In Lake County, the fire threatened the houses of an additional 3,000 people in Hidden Valley Lake, a subdivision south of the blaze. Tragically, the Habitat for Humanity office was working to raise money to help rebuild homes destroyed by a devastating wildfire that killed four people and destroyed more than 1,300 homes almost a year ago.
Local media reported that residents of about 500 homes had been asked to evacuate the town as fires raged nearby.
It started Saturday and crews seemed to have a handle on it until it blew up this afternoon, quickly taking over the town of Lower Lake.
Residents who thought the fire was under control earlier on Sunday went on errands in town and came back to roaring flames and smoke. Flames continue to burn out of control in the area.
The blaze was one of 11 large wildfires in California, where high temperatures and parched conditions brought on by a five-year drought raised the fire danger.
One structure has been destroyed, but it’s unclear if it was a home or a smaller building.
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More than 4,000 people remain evacuated as of Monday morning.
