Between them, the four blazes have destroyed more than 1,400 of the 36,000 housing units in all Lake County.
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Damin Pashilk, a construction worker from nearby Clearlake, faces several counts of arson in connection with the latest Northern California blaze and others that have devastated the area over the past year.
Together, the three fires previous year burned more than 170,000 acres and destroyed over a thousand homes, and the Valley Fire claimed the lives of four people.
Damin Pashilk, 40, was arrested Monday and charged with 17 counts of arson. In a sign of progress, fire officials lifted numerous evacuation orders in the town Tuesday, allowing about 4,000 residents to return.
The Chimney fire was just 10% contained by Monday evening.
After 1,500 acres burned past year on the 1,700-acre ranch where Comstock grew up and still lives, he has cleared out brush to make fire breaks – a ritual familiar to other Californians who live in areas traditionally associated with wildfires.
California Gov. Jerry Brown has declared a state of emergency for two major wildfires burning in Lake and San Luis Obispo counties.
“This county, to be honest with you, has gone through hell”, Cal Fire Chief Ken Pimlott said Monday night.
Wildfires hit Lower Lake for the first time in generations past year when three major blazes blackened towns and mountainous wildland close to the town.
ABC reports officials are pulling out all the stops to tame this blaze. By Sunday the fire had doubled in size, and firefighters only had the blaze 5 percent contained. Fire is out of control right now, multiple structures are threatened. Alfina is watching police and firefighters working to make the area safe for residents from a nearby gas station where he is sleeping inside his vehicle, so when they do give the all clear he will be there. The flames burned faster in the grassy areas, making them less likely to burn homes but also making them more vulnerable to wind shifts, Sherwin said.
Damin Pashilk, man accused of starting Clayton Fire.
The Clayton fire started Saturday afternoon, and partly because of the high temperatures and dry weekend, it has quickly spread.
It’s unclear how arson investigators linked Pashilk to the blaze, or how the fire ignited.
In Southern California, forecasters warned of high fire danger due to a heat wave and gusty winds.
“Everybody is just on edge”, he said.
“Those people have been through a lot”, he said, “people will rebuild”.
He said earlier Monday that more than 100 homes burned down.
“As our fire briefing was taking place, we got word that another large tree was coming down in Lower Lake around some homes”, Lowenthal said.
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Snaking walls of flame rising 50 to 100 feet high turned almost two dozen square miles of chaparral to ashes, along with outbuildings and homes in the ranchlands 60 miles east of Los Angeles.
