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- Written by: Lake County News reports
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
The fire, first reported late Tuesday morning at 18390 North Shore Drive, drew dozens of firefighters from around the county.
The Lake County Arson Task Force had been called to the scene Tuesday to lead the investigation.
South Lake County Fire District Battalion Chief Scott Upton, the incident commander on the fire, said Wednesday that the investigation had concluded that the fire’s cause was “accidental but undetermined.”
He said the home’s insurance company is planning to conduct some more advanced testing.
“So hopefully we’ll get more of a determination,” he said.
Upton said the two people injured in the fire were listed as being in critical condition on Wednesday morning.
Both were transported via air ambulances to out-of-county trauma centers, one to UC Davis Medical Center, one to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital, officials reported.
The fire victims’ names were not released by the fire district, and the Lake County Sheriff’s Office did not have their names for release on Wednesday.
CHP Officer Josh Dye, who had been one of the first on scene and helped tend one of the burn victims, suffered some smoke inhalation and was taken to the hospital on Tuesday, according to CHP Officer Kory Reynolds, the Clear Lake CHP Area office’s public information officer.
However, Dye was back at work on Wednesday and doing great after getting “a little too much smoke,” Reynolds said.
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Jose Louis Vallejo Ruiz, 28, was arrested for driving under the influence causing injury and driving without a driver’s license, while both of his passengers, 29-year-old Neri Averdano-Rosas and Clemente Sarmiento Rosas, 21, were booked for public intoxication, according to the California Highway Patrol’s Clear Lake Area office.
The crash occurred at 12:10 a.m. Wednesday on Highway 29 north of Hofacker Lane, the CHP reported.
The CHP said Ruiz was driving his 1994 Honda Accord northbound at an unknown speed when he allowed his vehicle to drift off the roadway, resulting in it overturning several times.
Ruiz and Averdano-Rosas were not injured, but Clemente Rosas sustained minor injuries in the collision, the CHP said.
CHP Officers Jensen and Garcia responded to the crash scene and contacted the three men, arresting all of them, according to the report.
All three men were taken to St. Helena Hospital Clearlake Hospital and medically cleared prior to being booked at the Lake County Jail, the CHP said.
Jail records indicated all three men remained in custody late Wednesday due to no-bail immigration holds.
The collision is still under investigation by Officer Jensen.
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Sgt. Rodd Joseph said an on-duty Clearlake Police officer noticed a suspicious silver colored Lexus sedan on 18th Avenue near Boyles Avenue at 12:44 a.m.
He said the vehicle pulled over to the side of the road and turned its lights off as the officer approached in his marked police vehicle. The driver of the Lexus, reported to be a Hispanic male adult, then turned the vehicle’s lights back on and made a quick U-turn.
Joseph said the officer got behind the vehicle and attempted to initiate a vehicle stop for a vehicle code violation, but the vehicle fled from the officer at a high rate of speed.
The Lexus and its driver led the officer on a high speed pursuit for several blocks before the officer briefly lost sight of the suspect vehicle due to poor visibility from roadway dust, Joseph said.
The officer located the vehicle at the intersection of 21st and and Phillips avenues. Joseph said the Lexus had slid off the roadway and collided with a tree. No other vehicles were involved in the collision.
He said the driver's door was open, with the driver having apparently fled on foot.
Officers discovered two additional passengers in the vehicle. Joseph said the rear passenger was identified as 28-year-old Leona Delapena of Ukiah, while the front passenger was identified as 20-year-old Jason Steele of Ukiah. Both passengers complained of pain.
Delapena initially reported that she and Steele had been carjacked at gunpoint by the suspect at a gas station, Joseph said.
However, during questioning by officers, Delapena became uncooperative and refused to provide any statements regarding the reported carjacking, Joseph said.
He said both Delapena and Steele were transported via ambulance to St. Helena Hospital Clearlake. Steele was later transported to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital via helicopter. Both passengers have since been released from medical care.
This case is still under investigation, Joseph said.
Any person with information regarding this incident is asked to contact Officer Middleton at the Clearlake Police Department at 707-994-8251. Callers may remain anonymous.
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