CalFire’s latest damage assessment for the Boyles Fire in Clearlake shows 33 residential structures destroyed with another 6 damaged and 22 outbuildings destroyed. The fire that started Sunday afternoon near Boyles Avenue and 8th Avenue is now 50% contained at 81 acres. More than 2100 people are still evacuated. Clearlake City Manager Alan Flora told Lake County News they were hopeful those areas could be reopened Thursday although CalFire says before that the fire must be completely out, damaged PG&E infrastructure secured, and hazardous materials removed.
The Konocti Unified School District has confirmed that three schools – Obsidian, Blue Heron and Lewis – suffered major smoke damage, and will be closed through Thursday at least for emergency cleaning. The Woodland Community College campus is closed for the rest of the week for cleaning but all classes and services are happening online.
A local assistance center for the Boyles Fire will be opening next week. Lake County News reports the City, County and Lake County Community Organizations Active in Disaster will open the center, at the Clearlake Youth Center on Golf Ave starting Monday September 16. It is currently set to be open next Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday from 10am-7pm. They have already set up an email address where you can ask questions at LAC or you can call them: 707-994-8201.
If you’d like to donate to help those who lost their homes and possessions in the Boyles Fire, the Lake Area Rotary Clubs Association and the Lake County Community Foundation are gathering donations. You can find the information on their websites: https://www.larca5130.org and https://www.lakeccf.org.
Some Kelseyville residents have been evacuated for a fire that started Tuesday afternoon near Harbor Road and Boren Bega Drive. Dubbed the Harbor Fire, it started around 4:30pm and moved very quickly but CalFire reported around 6pm that forward progress had been stopped. Evacuations remain for just one zone along Soda Bay and Point Lakeview Roads. There is no word yet on how it started.
A Fort Bragg man is facing charges after allegedly being caught with $250,000 in stolen checks. The Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office says on Saturday morning a deputy spotted a guy he knew to be on probation out walking around at 4am on a street in Willits. The deputy did a search, and says he found the guy had a bunch of mail from a local Fort Bragg business including several checks. Andrew Riffle was arrested for possessing stolen property, mail theft and violating his probation and at last check was being held on a no-bail status because of the probation violation.
The Round Valley branch of the Mendocino County Library has been honored as the Best Small Library America by the Library Journal. Sponsored by Ingram Library Services officials say the award was due to Round Valley creating a “robust community hub through responsive services and strong partnerships”. Bay City News reports the library offers a wide range of programs for kids and adults and does a lot of community outreach as part of a community center. Branch Librarian Josh Bennett says they work hard to reach as many families as possible in the community, working closely with the local school system and other day-to-day services.
