Officials say a wildfire in Central California has destroyed 12 homes and threatens 150 more.
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A firefighter douses flames as flames envelope a home off of Bonham Road near Lower Lake, Calif. on Sunday, August 14, 2016.
A fire that broke out Saturday evening near Lower Lake spread to 1,400 acres overnight and is threatening 500 homes, fire officials said early Sunday.
The blaze shifted north toward the lake, prompting authorities to evacuate residents by boat. Blankenship said fire activity could change at a moment’s notice as crews fighting the blaze face high temperatures and no cloud cover.
Firefighters from all over Northern California battled the blaze through the night, and Sunday morning 675 fire personnel were on scene, including 18 water tenders, four helicopters, 21 bulldozers and three air tankers, Cal Fire said.
Houses are burning on both sides of Morgan Valley Road and propane tanks are exploding, making a hissing noise and spewing balls of fire. Doctors and nurses at a hospital in Clearlake, a neighboring town of about 15,000, rushed to transfer patients to another hospital 25 miles away while firefighters carried goats and other animals to safety as homes burned around them.
Cal Fire spokesman Daniel Berlant said Sunday that an initial damage assessment showed four homes leveled by the blaze. It is spreading rapidly because of dry conditions brought on by California’s historic drought. Large, explosive fires have torn through dried-out or hard-to-reach areas across California this summer, including a stubborn blaze near the picturesque Big Sur coastline that has burned 113 square miles since late July and destroyed almost 60 homes. Some counties in far Northern California also were warned of gusty winds and increased fire danger, officials said.
The flames threatened the houses of an additional 3,000 people in a subdivision, and they have been told to stay vigilant in case they need to evacuate, she said.
“Emotions are still incredibly raw from the Valley Fire”, said state Sen. Danielle Colbeck, 36, saw the flames from her home Saturday and made a decision to get out. She told the Press Democrat newspaper in Santa Rosa (http://bit.ly/2buWHAj ) that she loaded her auto with her two cats and important papers and headed to a friend’s house.
Firefighters are attempting to prevent the fire from reaching Lower Lake, which is where the Valley Fire hit previous year.
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The blaze, which started Saturday afternoon, is burning in the same area that was hit previous year by three wildfires that destroyed more than 1,300 homes and killed four people. It killed four people, destroyed more than 1,300 homes, burned 120 square miles and was considered California’s third most destructive wildfire. A report out this week blamed faulty wiring on a hot tub for the blaze. It burned more than 2 square miles, but no homes have been lost, and it’s partially contained.
