LAKEPORT, Calif. – Cal Fire officials are using a new tool in the battle to contain the Pawnee fire east of Clearlake Oaks.

On Wednesday, at the command center located at the Lake County Fairgrounds in Lakeport, Cal Fire hosted a small gathering to unveil the new firefighting technology.

The modeling program is called Simtable, produced by a company based in Santa Fe.

John Heggie, a fire behavior analyst with Cal Fire’s Incident Management Team 3 who led the demonstration, said that to his knowledge this is the first wildfire incident on which the program has been utilized.

Among those on hand for the demonstration were Sheriff Brian Martin, Northshore Fire Chief Jay Beristianos and Lakeport Fire Chief Doug Hutchison.

“This is a marriage of the science and fire service,” Heggie said, adding it’s a great opportunity to use private sector technology to fight fires.

In the video above, Heggie and Cal Fire staff use Simtable to do a 3-D illustration of the Pawnee fire’s progression in its first burning period.

Video and article by John Jensen. Reach him via email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – A Clearlake man has been arrested for setting fire to a red-tagged building on Monday.

Jason William Olson Jr., 19, was arrested on Tuesday morning, according to a report from Clearlake Police Sgt. Tim Hobbs.

Hobbs said that just after 5 p.m. Monday the Clearlake Police Department responded to a report of a structure fire near Emory Avenue and Lakeshore Drive.

Officers arrived on scene within one minute and found the abandoned red-tagged building at 14668 Lakeshore Drive was on fire, Hobbs said.

A few minutes later personnel from the Lake County Fire Protection District arrived and began to work on extinguishing the fire and preventing the spread of a small grass fire to other properties, he reported.

Hobbs said Officer Daniel Eagle spoke with witnesses and obtained a description of a person seen leaving the building shortly before they fire.

Based on the description, Hobbs said Officer Eagle believed the person was Olson.

Eagle prepared a photographic lineup which was shown to a witness who identified Olson as the person seen leaving the building, Hobbs said.

Hobbs said that at 8:40 a.m. Tuesday, Olson was contacted walking behind Safeway in Clearlake.

During an interview, Olson admitted to being in the building and accidentally starting the fire while smoking methamphetamine, Hobbs said.

Olson was arrested for unlawfully causing a fire and later transported to the Lake County Jail, according to Hobbs.

Jail records showed that Olson, whose job is listed as “landscaping,” remained in custody on Wednesday with bail set at $15,000. He is scheduled to be arraigned on Thursday.

CLEARLAKE OAKS, Calif. – As containment rose on the Pawnee fire on Wednesday, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office said Spring Valley Lakes residents will be allowed to return home later in the afternoon.

The Lake County Sheriff’s Office had implemented the mandatory evacuation order for the Spring Valley Lakes subdivision, located east of Clearlake Oaks, on Saturday evening, within hours of the fire beginning.

Officials said all areas of Spring Valley, New Long Valley and Old Long Valley will be open at 4 p.m. Wednesday.

However, the mandatory evacuation order for the Double Eagle Ranch subdivision, located to the east of Spring Valley, remains in effect, as do road closures on Walker Ridge Road at Highway 20 and Mule Skinner Road at Highway 20, the sheriff’s office said.

The combined evacuation orders have impacted an estimated 1,500 residents and 600 homes, officials said.

The Spring Valley evacuation order was lifted hours after the fire’s size was reported to have reached 13,500 acres – a 500-acre increase since the night before – with containment jumping to 25 percent.

Cal Fire said the number of burned structures remains at 22, with damaged structures still at four.

Resources assigned to the fire on Wednesday included 2,700 firefighters, 235 engines, 25 water tenders, 15 helicopters, 58 hand crews and 69 dozers, Cal Fire said.

Flight tracking also shows tankers at work in the fire area.

Also on Wednesday, the Colusa County Sheriff’s Office lifted the advisory evacuations for areas east of Walker Ridge, north of Highway 20 accessed by Bear Valley Road, Bear Valley and Brim Road, and Leesville and Bear Valley Road.

The Colusa County Sheriff’s Office authorized the removal of the roadblocks in those areas, but said access will only be granted to residents, who will be required to show identification.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – For the second time in as many years, the streets of downtown Lakeport will be transformed this weekend into the newest stop in the Northern California‐Nevada Cycling Associations criterium racing calendar.

The free event, dubbed the RPP Hobby Lakeport Twilight Criterium presented by Chevron and Power Market, will offer impressive bicycle road racing in Lakeport on Saturday, June 30.

A criterium, or “crit” for short, is a road bicycle race held on closed downtown city streets in front of thousands of cheering fans and spectators.

This year the schedule for the Lakeport downtown criterium has been adjusted so that the premier categories will be racing under the lights, adding a real “party atmosphere” to the event for spectators and a rare opportunity for the athletes that will be performing in front of large local crowds.

Amy Moor, a member of the Northern California Nevada Cycling Association Board of Directors, said the event is notable for the fact that all prizes are equal between the men’s and women’s racing categories.

World class athletes will race the 0.6-mile long loop that traverses Main Street turning right on Armstrong Street, then right again onto the short but steep pitch of Forbes street before descending at speeds in excess of 40 miles per hour into the 90-degree right-hand turn onto Fourth Street and then right back onto Main Street.

The short yet steep climb up Forbes Street will provide some of the best viewing action for spectators as it often serves as a launch pad for the strongest riders to “attack” the field in attempt to separate themselves from their competitors.

Following a rider or group riders attack, the rest of the field must find the impetus to chase those riders down and bring him or her back the group or risk losing the overall race.

Often times the impetus to chase down the leaders is provided by the officials ringing a cowbell and announcing to the passing group of athletes that the next lap is a “Prime” lap (pronounced “preme”).

On a prime lap, the first rider back across the start finish line on that LAP wins a prize that may be anything from bottle of local Lake County wine or up to $250 cash.

Prime laps are used by the officials to control the tempo of a race and to disrupt individuals or teams from getting away from the rest of the racers by “going off the front” and riding away with an easy win. Prime laps keep the action high enhancing the spectator experience.

Each criterium class or cycling “category” begins as a timed event, with officials keeping track of the average lap times. Using those average lap times, the officials will calculate how many laps the field will make by the end of the preset time.

When the calculations indicate there are approximately 10 laps to go, the race converts to laps and the officials will display “lap cards” to the field letting them know how many laps remain before the end of the race. It is usually at this point that the over tempo and speed of the race begins to climb as the excitement of a pack sprint finish builds.

The fastest lap times of this year’s course are expected to be in the 1 minute 20 second range, which means the pro categories could be doing over 60 laps

The inaugural Lakeport Downtown Criterium was held in July 2017. Athlete attendance was on the low side due mainly to the fact that the contingent of criterium racers on the west coast had no idea the tiny lakefront town of Lakeport even existed and July was extremely hot.

The athletes and teams that did attend in 2017 were greeted with hospitality rarely seen at any other event, as well the beauty of downtown Lakeport and Clear Lake. Those athletes left Lakeport last year vowing to report back to others of this amazing new downtown crit and the diamond that was found in Lakeport and Lake County.

Through social media, images and reviews of Lakeport and the downtown criterium spread like wildfire, with athletes making early plans to attend in 2018.

New for 2018 is a schedule change and rebranding the event as the “RPP Hobby Lakeport Twilight Criterium presented by Chevron & Power Market.” By revising the race schedule so that the premier professional categories will start their racing at sunset, the event is now known as a “twilight crit.”

Downtown “twilight” or “sunset” crits are becoming increasingly rare in the United States with Lakeport now being only one of two in Northern California. The biggest West Coast sunset criterium is the San Rafael Sunset Criterium held every July in downtown San Rafael, which is the event that the Lakeport Twilight Criterium is modeled after.

Also new for 2018 will be a free race for kids sponsored and hosted by the Lake County Deputy Sheriff’s Association. Local deputy sheriffs will be on hand to pass out official race bib numbers, ice cream and popsicles, medals and even cash prizes for the kids that make the “podium.”

Additionally, Chevron and Power Market will be raffling off a new bike to one lucky spectator. Come down to the Chevron booth to get your name in the drawing.

This year’s event will feature local professional announcer Martin Scheel alongside Charles “Chuck” Hutcheson, former elite cyclist well know cycling personality from the Herbalife24/MarcPro Strava Race team, calling all the action while playing some great music.

O’Meara Brothers brewery is the official beer of the Lakeport Twilight Criterium and will be featured along with several Lake County wineries providing beer and wine at the beer garden. VIP access passes will be available for sale that gives spectators access to covered trackside seating on the start finish line and includes hosted beer, wine and pizza delivered by Stonefire Pizza.

Join the party on Saturday afternoon, get a free cowbell, and other schwag, line Main Street and the Forbes Street climb and be witness to some of the best free sporting entertainment Lakeport has to offer.

To learn more visit www.lakeportcrit.com and follow @lakeportcrit on instagram and RPP Hobby Lakeport Twilight Criterium on Facebook for up-to-the-minute information.

CLEARLAKE OAKS, Calif. – The Pawnee fire experienced more growth on Tuesday, but at the same time firefighters raised containment on the blaze.

In its third day, the Pawnee fire – which began in the Spring Valley Lakes subdivision Saturday afternoon – rose to an estimated 13,000 acres, with containment up to 17 percent.

Mendocino National Forest spokeswoman Punky Moore said the fire had burned approximately 658 acres of forest land on the Upper Lake Ranger District as of Tuesday night.

The estimate of burned structures remained at 22, which officials said breaks down to 12 residences and 10 outbuildings. Another four structures have been damaged.

A substantial increase in resources on the incident occurred on Tuesday, with the number of firefighting personnel nearly doubling to 2,700.

In addition, there are 235 engines, 25 water tenders, 15 helicopters, 58 hand crews and 69 dozers.

There is so far no estimated time of full containment, and the cause remains under investigation, Cal Fire said.

Mandatory evacuations remain in effect for 1,500 residents and 600 homes in both the Spring Valley Lakes and Double Eagle Ranch subdivisions, officials said.

An evacuation shelter remained open at Lower Lake High School, 9430 Lake St.

The Red Cross, which is operating the shelter, has had about 26 overnight stays and served more than 50 meals, according to spokeswoman Kathryn Hecht.

“Most importantly, the Red Cross is on location, staffed, stocked and ready to serve,” she said. “Additional cots, blankets and emergency relief supplies are being mobilized now to support relief efforts in case there are additional needs.”

Hecht said the Red Cross is also working closely with government and community partners to coordinate relief efforts. Some of the partners we are working with include The Salvation Army, Catholic Charities and Lake County Animal Care and Control.

More evacuees are reported to be sheltering at the Clearlake Oaks Moose Lodge.

The Colusa County Sheriff’s Office on Tuesday issued an advisory warning for east of Walker Ridge area, Wilbur Springs area, Bear Valley and Brim Road.

Road closures remaining in effect are as follows:

Lake County

• New Long Valley Road at Highway 20.
• Old Long Valley Road at Highway 20.
• Walker Ridge at Highway 20.
• Mule Skinner Road at Highway 20.

Colusa County

• Bear Valley Road is closed at Highway 20.
• Bear Valley Road is closed at Brim Road.
• Leesville Lodge Road is closed at Brim Road.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif.– The county of Lake announced the permanent appointment of two county department heads.

At the board’s meeting on Tuesday, the Board of Supervisors unanimously appointed David Cowan as Water Resources director and Michalyn DelValle as Community Development director, effective immediately. Both had been named interim directors in April.

DelValle is a nearly life-long Lake County resident, with a strong commitment to public service.

Her bachelor’s degree in management and 10 years’ experience serving in Community Development have prepared DelValle to lead with precision.

In April, DelValle stepped into a challenging situation, with understaffing and workload delays, and immediately began to take insightful and positive steps.

In just over two months, she has brought stability to her department, and set building blocks in place for a vibrant future.

DelValle acknowledges the work is just beginning: “We have many opportunities, from small adjustments to improve the experience of our customers to substantive changes to our land use plans and zoning ordinances to create a more business friendly environment. I look forward to leading Community Development, and working with staff to revitalize and enrich Lake County’s diverse communities.”

Cowan recently came to the county of Lake, bringing more than 20 years of experience in watershed protection, water program management, aquatic biology and fisheries.

He has a Master of Science in aquatic biology, and his strong leadership and communication skills have already made Cowan a valuable partner to county staff and community leaders, alike. Many have particularly remarked upon the improvements made to Highland Springs Park.

“I am excited to continue working with the great people in our Water Resources Department and members of the community to ensure that Clear Lake and our other waterways remain a vital and resilient resource in the future,” said Cowan. “This is a truly beautiful and exceptional area, and it is wonderful to be here and contribute.”

County officials said Cowan and DelValle are “dynamic and collaborative leaders” and the future of their departments is bright.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Summer in California is a time for many people to enjoy road trips, see the sights and visit new places.

The California Highway Patrol reminds everyone to put safety first and prepare for travel so summer fun does not become summer disaster.

“Good planning will make your trip safer for everyone – the driver, passengers, and other motorists,” said CHP Commissioner Warren Stanley. “Be sure you and your vehicle are both ready for your summer adventures.”

Summer driving can be more dangerous than winter for several reasons. Vacationing motorists, unfamiliar with an area, may create more traffic and drive unpredictably, either admiring scenery or trying to find their way.

More teenagers, who are inexperienced drivers, are likely to be on the road. Road construction occurring during the summer also requires caution.

The CHP offers these tips to help ensure roadway safety:

• Make sure your vehicle is ready for summer. Check the tires, lights, and radiator system. Summer temperatures place extra stress on your vehicle and all systems should be in good condition for safe travel.

• Know your route. Before you leave, research road conditions and construction. The California Department of Transportation has a mobile app for traffic information, or visit http://quickmap.dot.ca.gov for highway conditions.

• Cell phones can only be used hands-free. However, it is much safer to stop before making or taking calls, even hands-free. Program any mapping devices before you leave.

• Buckle up! Be sure everyone in your vehicle is wearing a seat belt. Check that young passengers are using the correct child safety seat for their height and weight.

• Never leave pets, children, or the elderly alone in a car for any length of time. California laws address how to handle situations in which children or animals are left in vehicles. However, the best approach if you see an unattended child or animal is to call 9-1-1.

• If your vehicle has a problem, such as a flat tire, move it to a safe location, if possible off of the highway. The shoulder of a roadway, no matter how wide, is not a safe place for repair work.

The mission of the California Highway Patrol is to provide the highest level of safety, service, and security.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Air quality and health officials reported Tuesday that the Pawnee fire is the source of the smoke plumes and haze that can be seen throughout Lake County.

Smoke was noticeable throughout Lake County in the overnight hours, with most areas experiencing light smoke or haze, according to the Lake County Air Quality Management District.

The agency said some areas close to the fire and at higher elevation may have been in the moderate to unhealthy for sensitive individual ranges.

Weather forecasts indicate “good” to “moderate” conditions should return by mid-afternoon through most of lake county air basin.

Officials said all residents should be prepared for smoke to settle into the area during the overnight hours until the fire is out.

The Lake County Quality Management District reported on Tuesday that air quality conditions remained in the good range for most of the county.

However, the overnight forecast indicates a potential for settling of smoke into the basin. In areas that become impacted by smoke “moderate” to “unhealthy” air quality may be experienced.

Similar conditions are expected Wednesday, though north by north east winds are forecast Tuesday night into Wednesday, which could bring more smoke into the basin. Slight variations in the wind direction can result in significant smoke impacts.

Conditions can change quickly from “good” to “unhealthy,” and this may be the pattern for the next few days, officials said.

Localized areas may experience intermittent particulate levels in the “moderate” to “unhealthy” range. All areas of Lake County may be significantly impacted should meteorological conditions worsen, the air district reported.

Lake County Public Health Officer Dr. Sara Goldgraben advised residents to be cautious in resuming normal outdoor activities when smoke is present in your area.

“Variable weather conditions and ongoing fire activity may result in localized areas of reduced air quality, which could still pose health risks to people with underlying health conditions. Since we can’t always predict when and where ‘pockets’ of poor air quality may occur, it is prudent to be careful until conditions stabilize,” she said.

Smoky conditions can cause irritation of the eyes, nose and air passages, which can be hazardous in young children, the elderly, individuals with heart conditions or chronic lung disease such as asthma, bronchitis and other respiratory conditions.

Individuals with asthma, bronchitis, emphysema and other lung or heart diseases should carefully adhere to their medical treatment plans and maintain at least a five-day supply of prescribed medications. They should limit outdoor activity and unnecessary physical exertion. Air conditioning that recirculates indoor air should be used, when available. Drinking plenty of water to avoid drying of the airways is recommended, unless restricted for medical reasons.

Dust masks are not protective against the most harmful pollutants caused by wildfire smoke that drifts to nearby areas. They are useful in filtering out the ash and larger particles that are encountered in burn areas. Air purifying respirators, such as N-95 filtering face pieces, may be effective in reducing harmful particulate matter, but also increase the work of breathing, can lead to physiologic stress, and are not recommended as a general protective measure.

The “good” to moderate” air quality forecast results from lower levels of fine particulates in the smoke and the possibility of increased ground level ozone. These are generated when combustion products in the smoke combine with the high temperatures, sunlight, and humidity. Other chemical reactions reduce visibility by forming secondary particulates. Localized areas of unhealthy air, regional haze, and particulate from this fire can be expected until the fire is out.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – As dozers continued to cut fire line around the Pawnee fire and tankers worked from overhead on Tuesday, the Board of Supervisors ratified a local emergency declaration for the fire.

Sheriff Brian Martin had originally made the local emergency declaration on Sunday, the day after the Pawnee fire began in the Spring Valley Lakes subdivision east of Clearlake Oaks.

The Board of Supervisors is required to ratify the declaration, which they did with California Office of Emergency Services representatives in attendance.

At the time the board voted, Cal Fire had an estimate of 11,500 acres and 5 percent containment on the fire, up by 1,000 from the size given Monday night.

More than 1,400 firefighting personnel are assigned, along with 110 engines, 10 water tenders, 15 helicopters, 35 hand crews and 58 dozers, Cal Fire reported.

The number of destroyed structures remains at 22, with four additional structures damaged, based on the Cal Fire damage assessment team’s work.



Click on the planes for information and flight path. Featured with permission of Flightradar24, www.flightradar.com .


Spring Valley and the nearby Double Eagle Ranch subdivision both remain under mandatory evacuation orders, officials said, with 600 structures threatened and about 1,500 residents impacted by the evacuations.

Also on Tuesday, the fire’s smoke settled into a thick haze over much of Lake County .

In addition to the assigned helicopters, numerous air tankers have been flying over the incident, based on radio traffic.

The dozers continued on Tuesday working around the fire, including cutting safety zones and fire line north of the fire on Hough Ridge.

Cal Fire said the fire continued to burn actively overnight.

On Monday night, the fire jumped Walker Ridge and moved into the Bear Valley area in eastern edge of Colusa County, according to reports from the scene.

Overnight Wilbur Hot Springs was reported to have been fully evacuated.

On Tuesday afternoon, the Colusa County Sheriff’s Office issued an immediate evacuation advisory warning for areas east of Walker Ridge, the Wilbur Springs area, Bear Valley and Brim Road.

Cal Fire also reported on a number of Pawnee fire-related road closure updates on Tuesday.

In Lake County, Old Long Valley Road, New Long Valley Road, Walker Ridge and Mule Skinner Road are all closed at Highway 20.

In Colusa County, Bear Valley Road at Highway 20, Bear Valley Road at Brim Road and Leesville Lodge Road at Brim Road are closed.

Cal Fire said road closures in those areas are staffed by law enforcement personnel and public access won’t be granted.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.

CLEARLAKE OAKS, Calif. – Cal Fire and local officials gave community members impacted by the Pawnee fire an update on conditions and firefighting operations during a Monday evening meeting.

About 40 people attended the community meeting at the Clearlake Oaks Moose Lodge, hosted by Cal Fire Incident Management Team 3, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office and Northshore Fire Protection District.

The Pawnee fire was first reported on Saturday evening in the Spring Valley Lakes subdivision east of Clearlake Oaks.

That same evening, Spring Valley was placed under a mandatory evacuation order which remains in effect.

Since then, with the fire moving to the east, mandatory evacuations also have been ordered for the nearby Double Eagle Ranch subdivision. Power has been cut to both communities due to downed power lines and trees.

Incident Management Team 3 Operations Chief Geoff Belyea said that on Monday crews made good progress on the southern portion of the incident, which had started as a spot fire at Spring Valley’s south end.

He said they buttoned up the southern end of the fire and were working to finish putting in control line on the north end of that spot fire along New Long Valley Road in order to fortify Spring Valley.

Along the fire’s western edge, Belyea said crews were making good progress, with bulldozers, hand crews and engine companies laying down fire hose.

In the area of Chalk Mountain, there was an unburned “island” of fuel – or vegetation – that ignited on Monday, sending up a lot of spoke. Having that fuel burn out actually was helpful, Belyea said.

On Monday evening, he said the main push of the fire was away from Spring Valley and toward the Walker Ridge area, located at the border of Lake and Colusa counties. He said hand crews, engines and dozers were working in the Double Eagle Ranch nearby.

Belyea noted that the fire had grown on its north end, and was burning northeasterly toward Indian Valley.

Incident Management Team 3 Assistant Chief Billy See said that damage assessment teams have been in the field counting the burned structures.

The count as of Monday night remained at 22 destroyed structures, of which 12 were residences and 10 outbuildings, See said.

See said the damage assessment was expected to be completed within 36 hours.

At that time, the fire had burned 10,500 acres and was 5 percent contained, with that containment near the impacted communities, he said.

The fire at that point was not active in Spring Valley, with the main fire growth pushing to the east and northeast, he said.

“Each day we’re fighting Mother Nature now,” he said, explaining that the weather was see-sawing between red flag warnings for low humidity and high temperatures, to delta-influenced conditions, with higher humidity and winds.

When asked about when evacuees might be able to return home, Sheriff Brian Martin said he hoped it would be this week. He said 1,500 people from 500 to 600 homes were impacted by the evacuations.

Before people can return home, he explained that Pacific Gas and Electric has to restore power, with power lines still down and other hazards throughout the community, including trees across roads.

“The primary concern is we make it as safe as we possibly can,” Martin said.

Martin also reported that the second Wolf Creek bridge further into the subdivision had been compromised by the fire, but that Lake County Public Works Director Scott De Leon may have an option to install a bailey bridge. He said the first Wolf Creek bridge remains open.

He also reported that the Spring Valley Pantry, the community center and Cowboy Church all survived the fire. PG&E had dropped in and hardwired a generator at the market, which is continuing to remain open and has supplied first responders with meals.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.

CLEARLAKE OAKS, Calif. – Authorities on Monday arrested a Ukiah man found with marijuana and a concealed weapon in the Pawnee fire evacuation zone in Spring Valley Lakes.

Christian Hiran Campos, 30, was taken into custody on Monday afternoon, according to Lt. Corey Paulich of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.

All of Spring Valley Lakes has been under mandatory evacuation since Saturday evening, when a fire erupted on the northern end of the subdivision and threatened the entire community, as Lake County News has reported.

Paulich said the Lake County Sheriff’s Office requested assistance from local law enforcement agencies to assist with patrolling the evacuated areas.

The responding agencies included the Lakeport Police Department, Clearlake Police Department, California State Parks, California Fish and Wildlife and the California Highway Patrol, Paulich said.

He said those agencies are patrolling for unauthorized people in the area and contacting them to determine their reason for being in the area.

On Monday at 1:40 p.m. Lakeport Police Officer Andrew Welter was assisting the Lake County Sheriff’s Office with patrolling the Spring Valley area when he observed a black Toyota 4Runner traveling on Spring Valley Road with expired license plate tags, Paulich said.

Paulich said Welter conducted a traffic stop and contacted the driver, who identified himself Campos, and said he was working in the Spring Valley community but was unable to identify who he was working for or what he was doing.

Welter determined Campos was an unlicensed driver, Paulich said. A consensual search of Campos’s vehicle revealed he was in possession of approximately 2 pounds of marijuana and a loaded handgun. Other items found inside the Toyota were a small weighing scale and binoculars.

Campos was arrested and booked at the Lake County Jail for being an unauthorized person in disaster zone, possession of more than 28.5 grams of cannabis, possession of cannabis for sale, transportation of cannabis for sale, possession of a concealed firearm in vehicle, unlicensed driver.

Jail records showed that his bail was set at $5,000, with a Wednesday arraignment set.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Fire crews continue to battle the Pawnee fire, and with thousands of residents already ordered evacuated from their homes, the county of Lake has received requests for information on the most effective way to make donations to assist fire Survivors and their families.

Officials said cash donations are most helpful at this time. They allow those supporting disaster relief efforts to direct assistance where it is most needed.

The county is unable to accept in-kind donations, such as clothing, household goods and other supplies.

In-kind donations require significant time and financial resources to distribute.

If someone close to you needs clothing or other everyday items, please provide them directly, if you can. If you are able to help the broader disaster response and relief effort, cash is best.

Those who are able, please make cash donations at: https://www.ncoinc.org/.