How to resolve AdBlock issue? 
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – A Sunday tule fire near Upper Lake appears to be a case of arson, according to Northshore Fire’s chief.
The fire, which was reported after 4 p.m. on Sunday, occurred in a 15- to 18-acre field in the reclamation area near Bridge Arbor North, not far from Upper Lake, according to Northshore Fire Chief Jay Beristianos.
He said the fire was located behind Robinson Rancheria, but that it occurred on private, not tribal, property.
Lake County News readers reported seeing the fire’s large black plumes of smoke on Sunday evening.
It’s similar to other fires lit a few weeks earlier in essentially the same place, said Beristianos.
“The fire last night was lit in three separate places,” said Beristianos, adding there is no reason for the fires to burn where they do unless they’re being intentionally set.
“They’re arson fires,” he said.
The fires can be difficult to fight, since the burning tules – which Beristianos said are as high as 12 feet tall – are located in a swampy area, making it dangerous to send in fire equipment.
On Sunday evening, Beristianos, who himself oversaw the fire response, said his firefighters burned control lines to contain the fire.
Although the fires put out a lot of black smoke, he said they generally burn out when night falls, which was the case with Sunday’s fire.
He said such fires are generally set every few years.
“This has been going on for as many years as I can remember,” said Beristianos, who grew up in Upper Lake.
Beristianos said he’s trying to find out who may be responsible. If it’s being done due to concerns over vegetation growth, he said the fire district can help set up control burns.
Beristianos is concerned about the time and resources responding to such nuisance fires take. There’s also the chance they could become more serious.
Anyone with information about the tule fires can contact Beristianos at the Northshore Fire Protection District, 707-274-3100.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
