Firefighters are working on containing the Slide 1 fire, and did serious work over the weekend to bring it to 75 percent contained. The Forest Service issued a release on the progress saying plans for suppression repair and resource demobilization are underway. The fire remains at around 473 acres. Cooler temps and a little rain in the forecast the beginning of this week bode well for the fire crews before things dry out and warm again toward the end of the week.
The Mendocino County Air Quality District is warning residents of wildfire smoke impacts. In a release the district announced air quality in the area was good to moderate. The Smith River Complex in northern Del Norte County grow significantly over the weekend after a thunder storm cell pushed the fire outward and intensified it’s spread. It is now over 22,000 acres and has zero containment, according to reporting in KymKemp. People have been evacuated from the area. The electricity in the area has been de-energized by Pacific Power. Widespread haze worked its way through the area over the weekend with the air quality map showing smoke over much of Northern California. They expect air quality to get better this week with some rain from Tropical Storm Hilary.
Hilary is set to bring high humidity and potential isolated thunderstorms, according to the National Weather Service. The Press Democrat reports gusty winds are also part of the storm that is breaking up after flooding southern California areas into Nevada. The National Weather Service issued a gale warning for waters from Cape Mendocino to Point Arena. ClimaGuard posted the warning this morning with the expected gusty winds through early afternoon. Gusts could be as strong as up to 40 knots. Visibility is reduced with the swelling seas. Mariners are urged to avoid the hazardous conditions and stay in port or seek safe harbor.
Hurricane Hilary hit southern California with flash floods and downed trees. It’s the first tropical storm to hit the state in over 84 years. The storm dropped 6 inches of rain in southern mountain areas with a years worth of rain in the inland desert. LA officials were warning of flooding asking people to stay off the roads. Mudslides were reported with dozens of cars trapped across the Coachella Valley. Officials expect the storm to break up today. After Governor Newsom declared a state of emergency officials were ready and in place. The southern part of the state also shook with a 5.1 magnitude earthquake in Ojai, northwest of LA. The Press Democrat reports the first quake was widely felt and followed by aftershocks.
Change Our Name Fort Bragg will sponsor a public debate on the name change tomorrow, Tuesday the 22, at 7:30 p.m. in the Community Room at the Fort Bragg Library. The Advocate news reports the debate is free and open to the public.
Police are investigating the discovery of a missing man who was found dead. Raymond Tyler was found along Highway 101 north of Willits. Sister Colene Brown confirmed his body was found near a home he was dropped off at earlier this month. He was declared missing after being released from Shasta Regional Medical Center in Redding, and driven to Willits, according to MendoFever.
Over the coming year, about 2.3 million Californians, a million of them children, are expected to lose Medi-Cal as the state redetermines all enrollees’ eligibility after the pandemic. In June alone, 225,000 people were disenrolled from the program, including 64,000 kids. An estimated 89 percent still qualify financially. The California News Service reports confusion is rampant because the system does not issue receipts that prove that documents have been received or notify people that their packets are being processed. Help is available on the state Department of Health Care Services’ website and with local public health agencies.
The Mendocino County Sheriff’s Department is investigating a drive by shooting. Saturday before noon, over a dozen kids were at Ukiah’s Orchard Park when a group of people in a black Honda fired shots at them. Multiple calls were made to dispatch as the kids went home. Officers found bullet casings in the road, as they closed it searching for evidence. About 12:30 all the kids were returned to their parents, according to reporting in KymKemp.
Wine in the Willows and the Lakeport Club of Rotary are announcing a fundraising event to support those affected by the fires. The Maui Fire Fundraiser is Wednesday the 23rd, from 5:30 to 8:00 PM at the Wine in the Willows venue. The Record Bee reports people are invited to come together in a show of solidarity to help those impacted by the Maui fires.
Forest officials closed part of the Yolla Bolly Middle Eel Wilderness through next April. The Slide 1 Fire prompted the closure order after over 150 lightning strikes hit the area. Firefighters are using roads and trails as natural barriers to the fire that is now at 75 percent containment. With the beginning of hunting season, the Mendocino National Forest reminds bow hunters the closure may affect plans. Fire restrictions remain in effect throughout the area. M22 is open but drivers should be aware of fire resource traffic.
The City of Clearlake has been busy finishing 17 roadway projects over the past five years. In an email update, the city says funding was made possible by state and federal grants and the local Measure V tax dollars. Of the $19 million used to complete these projects, $8 million was from grant funding. Six more road improvement projects are planned to be complete in the next two years. They will be improving the Ballpark area South of Redbud Park, Clearlake Park, Arrowhead and Burns Valley roads, and more. The total cost of the six projects is $21.5 million with $10 million from state and federal grants.
Officials are investigating a barn fire that erupted on Poonkinney Road off Highway 162 near Covelo. Just before 5pm on Saturday, firefighters arrived to find a barn fully engulfed in flames with multiple vehicles around the area. KymKemp reports witnesses say one person was in the barn, and was deceased. A few minutes after 5pm, crews knocked down the fire with a small spread to surrounding brush. Firefighters were there for a few hours mopping up. No more details on the death have been reported as of yet.
A vehicle fire was put out in Hopland yesterday. Multiple firefighting and law enforcement agencies responded to the fire on the side of Highway 101 around 2:30pm Sunday. The fire was near the intersection of Comminsky Station Road south of Frog Woman Rock. MendoFever reports the fire did not spread and was contained by Hopland Fire and Cal Fire.
The Mendocino County Air Quality District is warning residents of wildfire smoke impacts. In a release the district announced air quality in the area was good to moderate in the coastal areas of the county. The agency says the Smith River Complex and other fires in the state are bringing in smoke. Current wildfires ignited by lightning remain active. Widespread haze worked its way through the area over the weekend. They expect air quality to get better this week with some rain from Tropical Storm Hilary. Fire weather conditions may be hard for sensitive groups. The most up to date information with the Mendocino County Air Quality Management District is online at mendoair.org.
The Lake County Board of Supervisors will meet tomorrow morning and go over a response letter to the state over the approval of a syringe exchange program. Lake County News reports the board is arguing that the state didn’t fully consider the program and its effects on county and city agencies. They will make a request to the California Department of Public Health to reconsider approval of syringe service in the county by the Any Positive Change’s program. Local emergencies will be continued and the board will also go over a grant program and continued funding for the Behavioral Health program and more.
Crescent City Harbor Commissioners are sending a letter to Assemblymember Jim Wood, Representative Jared Huffman and Senator Mike McGuire asking for a moratorium on banning all ocean fishing along the North Coast. The Triplicate reports last week Harbor Commissioners held a couple of emergency meetings on the statewide directive. Earlier this month, the Department of Fish and Wildlife sent out word of the ban that started today from Mendocino north to the Oregon border. The ban extends into the ocean 15,000 feet. The department is citing severe population declines in quillback and other groundfish. They are asking the boundary to be changed for the Northern Management Area to move the shoreline boundary to 3,000 feet to protect fishermen. The fishing industry is reeling with the current order; the group says creates an economic domino effect for the entire area.
