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LUCERNE – A fire seriously damaged a house in Lucerne on Monday night.
The fire was reported before 9:30 p.m. at 6438 15th Ave.
Northshore Fire personnel, three Northshore Fire engines, an ambulance and three Lake County Sheriff's deputies responded to the scene.
Battalion Chief Pat Brown said the fire's source appeared to be a small propane tank inside the house.
The home was unoccupied at the time of the fire, according to Northshore Fire Protection District Chief Jim Robbins. The owner was living down the street while the house was being renovated.
The propane caused two windows – one in the front and one in the back – to bust out, said Robbins.
Although the interior of the home incurred significant damage, the home's structure appeared to be all right. 'We actually made a good save on it,” said Robbins.
The fire itself was extinguished quickly. As firefighters mopped up the scene, Brown and Robbins interviewed the owner and others at the scene to complete the fire investigation.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
The crash took place shortly before 9 a.m. on Red Hills Road just over a mile west of the Kit's Corner intersection with Highway 29, according to California Highway Patrol Officer Adam Garcia.
Garcia said 46-year-old Michael Zappelli Jr. of Kelseyville was driving a blue 2002 C-1500 pickup westbound on Red Hills road, with 19-year-old Phillip Martin of Kelseyville coming from the opposite direction in a red 2005 Pontiac Grand Prix. Both men were traveling alone in their respective vehicles.
Preliminary evidence from the crash investigation appears to show that Zappelli's vehicle crossed into the eastbound lane and collided with Martin’s vehicle head-on, said Garcia.
Zappelli was not wearing his seatbelt and he sustained major life threatening injuries. Garcia said Zappelli was flown by REACH air ambulance to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital.
Martin also sustained major life threatening injuries and was flown to Santa Rosa Memorial hospital
by Cal-Star air ambulance, Garcia said.
Garcia said both vehicles sustained substantial front end damage.
Alcohol is not believed to have been a factor, but Garcia said high speeds contributed to the severity of the collision.
Garcia said Officer Efrain Cortez is investigation the Monday crash.
The annual Lyrid meteor shower will be visible over North America on Wednesday, April 22, according to the National Aeronautic and Space Administration.
It's on that day that Earth will pass through a stream of dust given off by Comet Thatcher, NASA reported. Each April Earth passes through the comet's trail of debris.
Coincident with the meteor shower this year, the crescent moon and Venus will converge for a close encounter in the eastern sky. Viewed from some parts of the world, the Moon will pass directly in front of Venus, causing Venus to vanish, according to Dr. Tony Phillips of NASA.
The University of North Carolina's Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute reports that the Lyrids are best viewed between midnight and dawn from a clear, dark location with a good horizon.
Look to the northeast to find the meteors appearing to radiate out of the constellation of Lyra the harp. Binoculars or telescopes aren't needed. Then, as dawn approaches on April 22, note the brilliant planet Venus just to the left of the rising moon.
Lake County residents – along with other North American residents – will be favored with a full-blown eclipse or “occultation” when, around 5 a.m. Wednesday, Venus will disappear behind the mountainous rim of the Moon and reappear 60 to 90 minutes later, NASA reported. The occultation will be bright enough to see in broad daylight.
The Lyrids form the oldest recorded meteor shower, with observations of the Lyrids noted for at least 2,600 years, NASA reported. A Chinese account from 687 BC described the shower as having “stars that fell [like] rain.”
The Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute reports that Comet Thatcher was first discovered in 1861, and revolves around the Sun every 415 years.
Flakes of comet dust, most no bigger than grains of sand, strike Earth's atmosphere traveling 110,000 mph and disintegrate as fast streaks of light, NASA reported. A typical Lyrid shower produces 10 to 20 meteors per hour over the northern hemisphere, not an intense display.
Occasionally, however, Earth passes through a dense region of the comet's tail and rates increase five- to ten-fold, NASA noted. In April 1803 there was a particularly dramatic appearance with a rate of about 700 meteors per hour. In 1982, observers counted 90 Lyrids per hour. Because Thatcher's tail has never been mapped in detail, the outbursts are unpredictable and could happen again at any time.
This year the Lyrids are predicted to reach a peak of about 20 meteors per hour on Wednesday, the institute reported.
NASA said Comet Thatcher spends most of its time well away from the planets, and is nearly immune to significant gravitational perturbations, which may be why the debris stream has remained stable and the Lyrid shower has been observed for so many centuries.
KELSEYVILLE – For two Riviera Heights residents a seemingly routine drive shopping trip to Lakeport on Sunday nearly turned tragic when they were hit by a speeding vehicle.
Shortly before 2 p.m. Sunday Linda and Robin Unruh were headed westbound on Soda Bay road. They had just passed the Gaddy Lane intersection when a 1965 Chevy pickup traveling eastbound at a high rate of speed crossed into the westbound lane out of control and flipped over after skidding sideways for 60 feet.
The pickup landed upside down catching the front right corner of the Unruhs' 2003 Chrysler Sebring convertible, driven by Linda Unruh.
The pickup then continued several feet off the road, encountering a large log that slowed the truck's forward motion and aided in uprighting the vehicle, which then came to rest on all four wheels. The pickup's cab was nearly crushed to the door handles.
The California Highway Patrol identified the pickup's driver as Cheryl Hergert, also of Kelseyville, who scrambled out through the driver’s side window.
The Unruhs told CHP officers that Hergert had after – taking a quick look at the scene – said she was in a hurry. Hergert told the CHP that she was responding to a family emergency, stating that she had learned that a snake had bitten her 14-year-old son and she was rushing to his aid.
The couple also told the CHP officers that Hergert offered an extra $1,000 cash over and above any insurance pay out if they agreed to not call the police.
Hergert estimated her speed at 60 miles per hour while rounding a gentle curve in a 50-mile-per-hour zone. By the skidmarks, CHP Officer Efrain Cortez Jr. estimated Hergert was driving around 70 miles per hour.
Kelseyville Fire medics examined the Unruhs and Hergert and found that they all were remarkably unhurt. All parties had been wearing seat belts.
After the examination the medics proceeded to an address on Jamie Lane in Kelseyville from where, according to Hergert, her 14-year-old son had called his father to report that he had been bitten by an unknown type of snake. Hergert told officials that the boy’s father then called her and she was responding to the Jamie Lane address.
Once on scene the Kelseyville Fire medics, along with Search and Rescue personnel, conducted a search of the home and its surrounding area. Several neighbors, familiar with the boy’s habits and favorite hideouts, assisted in the search, some of them climbing a steep hill just behind the home a favored play area for the young man.
Kelseyville Fire official Brian Burnham coordinated the half dozen Kelseyville Fire personnel on the ground with the Lake County Sheriff's Office and a CalStar helicopter flying overhead.
Burnham explained that three years ago the boy, known to wander, had climbed the steep hill and had managed to make his way to Soda Bay. They were following a familiar path.
The search turned up no sign of the boy, who later was located in Lakeport just before 4 p.m. at the Lakeport Cinema. Lake County Sheriff's officials verified his location and the search was discontinued. The would-be rescuers returned to station 55, the Cal-Star helicopter was released from the scene and a sheriff’s deputy was left with many unanswered questions.
Back at the original scene CHP Officer Cortez said Hergert is likely to be cited for excessive speed and reckless driving. Both drivers had valid driver’s licenses and provided proper registration and insurance documents.
Officer Cortez and the Unruhs agreed that had they been just 4 feet further down the road the convertible would not have fared as well and their trip to town would have ended in a distinctly different manner.
E-mail Harold LaBonte at
THIS STORY HAS BEEN CORRECTED DUE TO LOCATIONS.
LAKEPORT – A late-night vehicle crash left many Kelseyville residents without power for a short time on Sunday evening.
The power outage was reported at 10 p.m., according to Pacific Gas and Electric spokesman JD Guidi.
Guidi said the outage was caused when a car hit a pole on Park Way in north Lakeport.
He said approximately 1,482 people were without power until 10:33 p.m.
The California Highway Patrol reported that the crash occurred at 910 Park Way, just north of Oak Park, with the vehicle going 60 feet off the roadway. No injuries were reported.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
HIDDEN VALLEY LAKE – A fire destroyed a Hidden Valley Lake home on Saturday evening.
The fire, which took place at 19559 Stonegate Road, was reported just before 5 p.m.
When firefighters from Hidden Valley Lake's fire station arrived on scene, the left side of the house was fully engulfed in flames, officials reported.
Other fire districts around lake offered mutual aid, including South Lake County Fire Protection District, Northshore Fire, Lake County Fire and Kelseyville Fire, as well as a Konocti Conservation Camp Crew 4.
There were at least fire engines and two water tenders that responded, with multiple hoses running from nearby fire hydrants. The fire department was able to extinguish the fire before it damaged surrounding homes.
No one was inside or injured during the fire, although a small black dog is still unaccounted for, fire officials said.
The home was considered a total loss. Chief Rich Boehm estimated damages at more then $250,000, not including personal property within the home.
