A fire that broke out near Ukiah may have started under suspicious circumstances. Witnesses in the neighborhood of the fire off Vichy Road tell this radio station they’re convinced it was caused by arson. The sheriff department reportedly informed someone saw a dark silver or grey Honda with a woman driving alone and seen speeding away just as the fire erupted. Witnesses also say the car returned later to observe firefighting operations. Visiting firefighters lodging nearby at the Vichy Springs Resort instrumental in calling in chopper water drops which stopped forward movement of the fire quickly. Some buildings nearby said to be threatened, but none were lost. No injuries were reported.
An advisory evacuation order in Western Lake County has been upgraded to Mandatory. The Lake County Sheriff’s Office ordered the Mandatory Evacuation area west of Lucerne at Bartlett Springs Road and Highway 20, south of the fire, east of the fire, north of Clear Lake including the communities of Blue Lakes, Upper Lake, Nice, Lakeport, Witter Springs, Bachelor Valley, Scotts Valley, Saratoga Springs.
There’s a temporary County Recorder’s office now in Lower Lake. Since county offices are closed in Lakeport because of Mandatory Evacuations, the office was set up so residents can still record critical documents. So the County Assessor-Recorder Richard Ford organized the temporary Recorder’s Office in Lower Lake on Main St. which will be open Monday-Friday 9am to 4pm while mandatory evacuations remain in effect in Lakeport. The office is prepared to handle Deeds, Deeds of Trust, Title documents and any other documents related to Real Property.
The Mendocino Complex of Fires have now gone above 100,000 acres. Cal Fire reports the complex now 39% contained. The River and Ranch Fires that make up the complex are at nearly 110,200 acres. They started last Friday and have expanded quickly in dry, hot weather. The Ranch Fire’s been burning north of Upper Lake and growing into the Mendocino National Forest with a forced evacuation of communities on the north shore of the lake. The River fire has all of Lakeport and nearby shoreline communities out of their homes and businesses under mandatory evacuation orders. Cal Fire reports fighting the toughest fight in the Mendocino National Forest in steep terrain. 14 homes have been destroyed and more than 12,000 are threatened.
