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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Thursday was another day of hard work on the fire lines for thousands of firefighters trying to stop the advance of the Ranch and River fires, the two incidents that make up the destructive Mendocino Complex that has forced thousands of people from their homes.
By nightfall, Cal Fire said the complex has grown another 15,000 acres, with the day’s-end total at 125,168 acres and containment unchanged at 39 percent.
The Ranch fire made a fierce overnight run toward Bartlett Springs along the footprint of the 1996 Fork fire, totaling 83,890 acres Thursday night, with containment at 33 percent. It grew by 9,000 acres over the course of the day.
Incidentally, the Fork fire itself topped 83,000 acres, making it among the largest fires in Lake County history for its time. However, it’s now likely to be well eclipsed by the time the Ranch has run its course.
The River fire, which grew 6,000 acres Thursday, hit 50-percent containment after burning 41,278 acres by Thursday night, according to Cal Fire.
Resources assigned rose to 3,232 personnel, 402 engines, 58 water tenders, 15 helicopters, 47 hand crews and 51 dozers, Cal Fire said.
The city of Lakeport’s mandatory evacuation order was called off on Thursday afternoon, but much of the city remained empty and businesses closed in the evening, with air quality still rated as very unhealthy or hazardous.
While city residents were cleared to go home, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office issued a mandatory evacuation in the middle of Thursday afternoon for Long Valley and High Valley, as well as for Spring Valley, which was hit in June by the Pawnee fire.
Later on Thursday evening an advisory evacuation notice was issued for areas east of Paradise Valley and west of Sulphur Bank Road on Highway 20 – including all residents living in Glenhaven and Clearlake Oaks.
That notice results in the entire Northshore being in either mandatory or advisory evacuation status. Upper Lake and Nice previously were placed under mandatory evacuation, and Lucerne has remained in advisory evacuation status.
Cal Fire said the complex continues to threaten 8,200 structures.
The agency’s revised damage assessment on Thursday night said 33 structures, among them 16 homes, have been destroyed, while 12 structures, including eight residences, have been damaged.
On Thursday evening, firefighters continued to work on building dozer line and structure protection around Scotts Valley and Hendricks roads, where much of the structure damage from the River fire appears to have occurred so far.
Some homes, along with barns and outbuildings have been destroyed, although the Scully Packing shed and the Scotts Valley Women’s Clubhouse – the latter sporting what appeared to be a light pink dusting from retardant – have survived unscathed.
Dozers lines have been cut around homes and buildings, bright yellow fire hose snaked across driveways, and clusters of engines and lead personnel parked along the valley, which was hemmed in by a thick smoke layer.
Firefighters at the scene Thursday said the fire activity was fierce mid-afternoon, and then helicopters began making drops.
One firefighter estimated as many as 40 drops were made by aircraft including a Chinook helicopter, which throughout the evening continued moving back and forth between the fire and a nearby pond with a bucket suspended from a long line.
Reports also have indicated structures have been lost in the Upper Lake area, but so far the Cal Fire reports have not delineated specific addresses.
On the other side of the complex, the Ranch fire has showed no signs of slowing down its progress to the east.
The Ranch fire smoke column continued to push up over the horizon during Thursday evening, rising out of a thick wall of smoke that has settled over much of the county.
Overnight Wednesday and into Thursday, the Ranch fire ran several miles, reaching Bartlett Flat by Thursday morning, according to fire officials.
Henry Wells, whose family owns property at Bartlett Springs, watched the fire’s approach, describing it as a sounding like a freight train, according to his wife, Sherry, who told Lake County News that she spoke with him briefly by phone.
Shortly before 10:30 p.m. Thursday, radio reports from the Ranch fire indicated it was continuing to move toward Colusa County, and making a strong push along a ridge to the north above Long Valley.
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