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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
CLEARLAKE OAKS, Calif. – Dozens of community members gathered in Clearlake Oaks Monday evening to hear from state and local officials about the response to a pair of wildland fires that tore through the hills near Clearlake Oaks last week, causing evacuations and burning thousands of acres.
County Supervisor Denise Rushing hosted the hour-and-45-minute-long meeting at the Clearlake Oaks Moose Lodge, which was a short distance from where the Wye Fire had broken out Sunday, Aug. 12, about 20 minutes after the Walker Fire was dispatched.
County staff and leaders, local fire chiefs and a number of Cal Fire chief officers were on hand to discuss the incident and answer questions.
The Walker and Wye Fires – eventually managed as just the Wye Fire – burned a total of 7,934 acres before being contained last Saturday morning.
Overall, the entire incident cost an estimated $7,355,896, including the engines that remain on scene patrolling the fire areas, Cal Fire spokesperson Suzie Blankenship said Tuesday.
The fires were dispatched minutes apart on the afternoon of Aug. 12, according to Northshore Fire Deputy Chief Pat Brown, who showed a slideshow of photos captured of the incidents by community members.
He said the Walker Fire was dispatched first, at 3:48 p.m. Brown and other Northshore Fire units passed through the “Y” – the intersection of Highway 20 and 53 – minutes later.
Within 10 minutes of their units passing through the intersection, the second fire was dispatched at 4:05 p.m. after Fire Capt. Joe Baldwin of Cal Fire spotted it and called it in. Cal Fire would dub the second fire the “Wye,” a variation of the intersection’s nickname.
Brown said Baldwin stopped some of the equipment that was heading to the Walker Fire and diverted it to the Wye.
Very quickly, the challenges – and dangers – began to mount. Traffic was backing up in the area, the fire spread quickly and it was hit by the area’s afternoon winds. Within 20 minutes it had reached nearby oak trees and took off, he said.
Lake County Fire Chief Willie Sapeta had been on scene within minutes, ordering equipment. Within 20 minutes, Cal Fire air resources were doing fire drops, Brown said.
Forty six minutes after the fire was dispatched, just after 5 p.m., the house that the late Clearlake Oaks resident Max Thorburn built was fully involved, he said.
At about 5:30 p.m., the fire was cresting over Long Valley and entering Spring Valley, according to Brown.
Brown called the photo Clearlake Oaks resident Chris Hallsted shared with Lake County News of the fire the “iconic” image of the blaze, showing what he called a “boilover.”
Setting priorities
Cal Fire Battalion Chief Mike Wink was the first Cal Fire chief officer on scene, and became the initial incident commander. He, Sapeta and Baldwin evaluated the scene and began making big resources requests, seeking dozens of engines and crews.
Once the fire progressed to the New Long Valley and Old Long Valley areas, Wink said they decided they needed to evacuate.
Lake County has a natural wind that comes off the lake from the west in the afternoon and evenings, and that – along with a “plume-dominated” wind – was causing the fire to escalate rapidly, he explained.
Firefighters began getting reports from the California Highway Patrol of downed power lines along Highway 20, and Wink said at that point they knew they couldn’t get fire resources across the power lines. So they requested resources from Colusa County.
“Our priorities are life, property and environment – in that order,” said Wink.
As such, they were trying to get people out of the fire’s path while diverting aircraft and other resources from the Walker Fire to the Wye Fire, he said.
Wink said they got radio traffic that Patsy Thorburn was trapped in her driveway while trying to escape. Firefighters couldn’t get to her, so they diverted air resources to try to hit the fire so she could get out.
Later that night they heard she had escaped, Wink said. “We were all relieved to hear that.”
Motorists on Highway 20 were diverted toward Williams, and a nearby quarry property was used as a diversion area for motorists, where Wink said people soon began piling up.
Lake County Animal Care and Control and its Lake Evacuation & Animal Protection (LEAP) group were requested to assist with evacuating animals from Spring Valley, and after the Moose Lodge filled up Red Cross was activated and set up a temporary shelter at the Highlands Senior Center in Clearlake. People who had been diverted to Williams were helped by the Red Cross there, Wink said.
“All those things are continually going on through the night,” he said.
Cal Fire Division Chief Eric Hoffman, who is based out of Santa Rosa, would take over command of the fire early on Monday, Aug. 13, after the Cal Fire Incident Management Team 4 was activated.
The firefighters who had been part of the initial attack “worked heroically,” Hoffman said, with many of them working 36 to 48 hour shifts.
Cal Fire Sonoma-Lake-Napa Unit Chief Tim Streblow told the the incident command team that the No. 1 objective was to put out the fire, while the No. 2 objective was to leave the community satisfied with the firefighting effort, according to Hoffman.
“We took that real seriously,” Hoffman said.
Fire officials quickly put the Wye Fire at the top of the priority list. Hoffman said they gave it the resources needed to hit it hard and get containment in under seven days.
After Hoffman spoke, Rushing told the group, “As you can see, it’s quite an effort to face something this huge, and it's certainly something our little community can't handle ourselves.”
A cooperative effort
Sapeta discussed the evacuations and how that cell 911 calls often are diverted out of area rather than directly to Lake County Central Dispatch. Several Spring Valley residents in the audience complained that their area didn’t have cell phone coverage anyway.
When the fire erupted, Sapeta said Central Dispatch’s two dispatchers were handling a deluge of calls.
He and Wink knew there would be challenges in evacuating, which he said is a labor intensive process.
When Red Cross was activated, it determined where to set up the evacuation shelter. In addition he recognized LEAP and Animal Care and Control for their efforts.
“This was a cooperative effort with everybody in the county involved,” Sapeta said.
Sapeta said the county hadn’t seen an event of this magnitude since the 1996 Fork Fire, which also required Spring Valley to evacuate.
Tim Miller, regional chief executive officer for the American Red Cross of Sonoma, Mendocino and Lake Counties said the group’s primary role was sheltering and feeding evacuees.
On Aug. 12 the Red Cross served 150 meals and sheltered 25 people overnight who had evacuated because of the fires, Miller said. The following night they had two people who still needed shelter.
Lynnette Bertelli spoke about LEAP, which formed a year and a half ago, and is a group of volunteers that worked with Animal Care and Control to evacuate animals.
The group, which is trained in evacuation and safety procedures, was activated at 5:45 p.m. Aug. 12, she said. The group staged at the Spring Valley Pantry and helped remove four dogs, one cat and five horses. Later, they escorted residents in to either remove their livestock and pets or feed them if they couldn’t be moved.
She lauded Clearlake Veterinary Clinic and the Animal Hospital of Lake County for keeping their offices staffed all night long to assist with animal evacuations.
Bertelli said the goal is to educate the public to the point where LEAP doesn’t have to be called in to rescue animals.
Northshore Fire Chief Jay Beristianos said some Spring Valley residents did a very good job in establishing defensible space around their homes – so much so that there were homes where the fire burned around them but didn’t damage them because there was clearance.
“You can see there’s a lot of effort that goes into an event like this,” said Rushing. She added that a debriefing of all the agencies hadn’t yet been held to determine what went well and what didn’t.
The meeting wrapped up with a question and answer session that covered defensible space and weed abatement, how the abatements were handled and cell phone coverage in Spring Valley.
One of the questions on peoples’ minds that doesn’t yet have a definitive answer is what caused the Wye Fire.
Hoffman said the investigation remains under way, with the Walker and Wye fires being investigated as separate incidents.
He said investigators are working on good leads but haven’t given him a final cause.
“The one thing I can tell you about the investigation is that there is nothing concrete to link the two fires,” he said.
He recognized the community’s anxiety, and urged people not to jump to conclusions.
“As soon as we can put that to bed, we will,” he said of the cause, adding, “When we know, you will know.”
Email Elizabeth Larson at
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
NORTH COAST, Calif. – Mendocino County officials on Tuesday issued evacuation orders for areas near the community of Covelo, where two wildland fires are burning.
The North Pass Fires – previously called the Pass Complex – reached 10,000 acres on Tuesday, with 10 percent containment, according to Cal Fire.
The lightning-caused fires have been burning since early last Saturday morning in the Williams Valley near Mendocino Pass Road, 10 miles northeast of Covelo.
The fires have so far claimed one outbuilding and are threatening 45 residences, according to Cal Fire.
There were 869 personnel on scene Tuesday, along with 63 engines, 26 fire crews, three helicopters, 29 dozers and 21 water tenders, Cal Fire reported.
With the complex moving into the Mendocino National Forest, Cal Fire and the US Forest Service have a unified command of the incident.
Mendocino National Forest spokesperson Tamara Schmidt said the Southern California Interagency Incident Management Team 3 assumed command of the fire on Tuesday morning, with the incident command post located at the Round Valley Airport.
Schmidt reported that the fires were actively burning in heavy timber and moving northeast into the Yolla Bolly Middle Eel Wilderness. Extreme fire behavior – including crowning, torching and long range spotting – have been observed in the afternoons.
She said firefighters both on the ground and in the air are actively fighting the fire.
The fires prompted the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office to issue a mandatory evacuation order for all residents of Indian Dick Road (USFS Road M1), east of Covelo; all residents on Indian Dick Road from the intersection of Mendocino Pass Road (USFS Road FH7) north to the Trinity County line and east to the Tehama County line.
The order included all residences and USFS campsites at Howard Lake Campground, Little Doe Campground and Hammerhorn Lake Campground.
Also evacuated was Blands Cove Road, east of Covelo, from the start of the Traveler's Home Wilderness Trail Head, north to the Trinity County line.
Blands Cove Road and Indian Dick Road (USFS Road M1) will be closed to all non-emergency traffic in the evacuation areas. The road closures remain in effect until the mandatory evacuation order is rescinded.
Schmidt said the fire closure area boundary begins at the intersection of the Middle Fork of the Eel River and the forest boundary, then continues north along the Middle Fork of the Eel River to a point half a mile south of Henthorne Lake, then continues due west to its intersection with the forest boundary, then continues south along the forest boundary back to the starting point.
Anyone displaced by this evacuation order can contact the American Red Cross for housing assistance at 707-463-0112 or 855-891-7325.
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Department of Defense has formally identified the soldiers who perished in a Black Hawk helicopter crash, including a young Kelseyville man whose family was notified last week.
Sgt. Richard Essex, 23, a 2008 graduate of Kelseyville High School, was among the 11 who died in the crash, which occurred northeast of Kandahar, Afghanistan last Thursday, Aug. 16, as Lake County News has reported.
Essex was assigned to A Company, 2nd Battalion, 25th Combat Aviation Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, based at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii.
His family is planning a military service for him on Saturday, Sept. 1, at Kelseyville High School.
“Our heartfelt condolences and prayers go out to the families and loved ones of our fallen heroes,” said Maj. Gen. Kurt Fuller, commanding general, 25th Infantry Division. “Although the 25th Combat Aviation Brigade family has suffered a huge loss, they still continue their mission with the utmost
courage and resolve.”
The cause of the crash is under investigation, the Army reported.
Essex was the gunner on the Black Hawk, according to his aunt, Mayme Dyslin of Kelseyville.
His family reported being notified last Thursday afternoon by military officials.
The Black Hawk also was carrying three other members of the Army, three members of the Navy, three members of the Afghan national security forces and an Afghan civilian interpreter, the Department of Defense reported.
Other Army 25th Infantry Division members on the Black Hawk were Chief Warrant Officer Brian D. Hornsby, 37, of Melbourne, Fla; Chief Warrant Officer Suresh N. A. Krause, 29, of Cathedral City, Calif.; and Sgt. Luis A. Oliver Galbreath, 41, of San Juan, Puerto Rico, military officials reported.
The Department of Defense identified the Navy members who died in the crash as Explosive Ordnance Disposal Petty Officer Technician 1st Class Sean P. Carson, 32, of Des Moines, Wash., assigned to an explosive ordnance disposal mobile unit in San Diego; Special Warfare Operator Petty Officer 1st Class Patrick D. Feeks, 28, of Edgewater, Md., assigned to a West Coast-based naval special warfare unit; and Special Warfare Operator Petty Officer 2nd Class David J. Warsen, 27, of Kentwood, Mich., assigned to a West Coast-based naval Special warfare unit.
The Army report said Essex joined the Army July 1, 2008, and became a wheeled vehicle mechanic on Nov. 23, 2008.
Dyslin recalled that her nephew had always wanted to go into the military.
He was on his second deployment, according to the Army. Dyslin said he was due to return home in November.
The Army said Essex’s awards and decorations include the Army Commendation Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, NATO Medal, Combat Action Badge, Army Aviation Badge and the Drivers Badge.
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- Written by: Rich Mellott
This week’s Fall Football Preview will feature the county’s high school teams as they get ready for the upcoming season.
KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – Going into last season, Kelseyville Coach Rob Ishihara figured the key to a successful year would be his team’s ability to win the close North Central League I games.
He figured right.
The Knights found themselves in four tight league matches – and lost them all, finishing at 1-6 in the NCL and 1-9 overall.
Three of the losses were by less than a touchdown—7-3 to Clear Lake, 34-29 to Cloverdale and 28-25 to Middletown. And the 17-7 loss to Fort Bragg “could have gone either way,” Ishihara said.
With each game hanging in the balance, the Knights demonstrated a propensity for self-destruction.
“We made too many turnovers at inopportune times,” he said, referring to the string of fourth-quarter fumbles that turned potential victories into gut-wrenching losses.
Looking ahead to this season, Ishihara has come up with a new key to what would be a bounce-back year – and it doesn’t involve holding on to the ball (Ishihara believes the ball-stripping drills this summer should cure the team’s chronic fumbling problem).
“This year it’s going to boil down to our players being mentally tough,” said Ishihara, a former all-league quarterback at Kelseyville. “We’re a small team. We have some talent at the skill positions, but we don’t have any size. We’ll have to be mentally tough to compete against the bigger teams.”
Among the undersized players upon whose skills Ishihara is relying are seniors John Mark Reagan (5-8, 145-pound quarterback/cornerback), Jake Peters (5-9, 165-pound running back/defensive back), Pedro Hernandez (5-10, 160-pound receiver/defensive back) and Greg Fricker (5-11, 165-pound receiver/defensive back).
Reagan ran the Knights’ wing-T offense last year, rushing for 351 yards (and a 7-yard per carry average) and passing for another 354 yards, but his inexperience showed in the early-season blowouts, especially when he was forced to pass to overcome big deficits.
Fricker (8 catches, 149 yards) was the team’s most productive receiver last season.
It’ll be interesting to see how the coaches work Peters into the scheme; the Lower Lake transfer has skills – but where’s he going to play? Maybe a little quarterback, Ishihara says, along with running back and defensive back.
Players off a JV team that went 6-4 last year will be thrown into the mix right away. Gone is last year’s top rusher, Geno Poloni (1074 yards, 5.4 avg.), but a couple of impressive underclassmen should help pick up the slack: Kevin Duty, a 6-1, 200-pound junior who doubles at linebacker, and sophomore Robert McLean (5-9, 185), who also plays strong safety.
It’s in the trenches where the undersized Knights will have to find ways to compensate. Senior Zac Cocco (6-0, 185 pounds), who was second on the team in tackles last year, returns as a two-way starter.
Up from the junior varsity is 6-feet, 180-pound junior David Simonson, who will play in the offensive line as well as at linebacker. Junior Justin Johnson will be in the mix.
For the Knights to have a turn-around year, a year like 2010, when Ishihara was a rookie coach and his team went 7-4, they’ll have to use their quickness and athleticism to negate the size advantage that most opponents will enjoy.
They have good depth at the skill positions, so don’t be surprised if Ishihara, a Lake County real estate agent, uses his powers of salesmanship to persuade some of his more athletic types to hunker down near the line of scrimmage and then sprint past (or dance around) opposing linemen to make the tackle or the block.
Either that or maybe the coaches can devise a defense that features one nose guard, six linebackers and four defensive backs, which might actually work against the two or three teams they face that like to throw the ball.
But for the time being, Ishihara is counting on his team’s “mental toughness” to compete against the bigger teams, along with his better athletes to come up with some big plays – the type of plays that win games that are hanging in the balance.
Tomorrow: The Clear Lake High School Cardinals get ready for the fall season.
Rich Mellott can be reached at
Kelseyville Knights
Coach/Record: Rob Ishihara (3rd year), 8-13 1.
Assistants: Nick Veenstra, Jim Ducoti, Lou Poloni, Todd Hansen, Tim Tangley, Sonny Duty.
Last year: 1-9.
League: 1-6-1.
JVs: 6-4.
Offense: Wing-T.
Returning starters: 5 on offense, 6 on defense.
Top players: QB/DB John Mark Reagan, QB/RB/DB Jake Peters, RB/LB Kevin Duty, RB/DB Robert McLean, OL/DL Zac Cocco, OL/DL David Simsonson, R/DB Gregory Fricker.
Keep an eye on: Whether the numerous new players up from the JV team can make an early impact, including Duty, McClean and Simonson … Also, whether the ball-stripping drills in practice this summer will make a difference for a team haunted by costly fumbles last year.
Key games: Kelseyville will have its hands full in its Aug. 31 opener against Upper Lake, but it has a good shot at matching its 2011 win total in its second game on Sept. 7 at John Swett (Crocket), which takes a 10-game losing street into its opener against South Fork … The Knights open NCL play against two of the league’s best teams, at Willits (Sept. 21) and at home against defending champ St. Helena (Sept. 28).
