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The meeting will take place online beginning at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 17.
It will be live-streamed on the Mendocino National Forest Facebook page.
The lightning-caused complex, which began Aug. 17, had burned 817,952 acres and was 30-percent contained as of Wednesday night, the Forest Service said.
Officials said it has burned 35 structures, with another 400 buildings threatened.
The complex is burning on the Mendocino, Shasta-Trinity and Six Rivers National Forests.
The Forest Service said that approximately 1,804 personnel are assigned to the complex, which is the largest wildland fire incident in recorded California history.
For those who would like to submit questions ahead of time, email them to
During the live event participants also can ask questions in the comment section on the Facebook page.
The Forest Service said the speakers will attempt to answer as many questions as they can during the live event.
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The Census Bureau said that of the housing units counted so far, 27.1 percent were counted by census takers and other field data collection operations, with another 65.9 percent of housing units responding online, by phone or by mail.
In California, the enumeration rate is 95.4 percent, the Census Bureau said.
California’s self-response rate is higher than the national average, at 68.4 percent.
Lake County’s self-response rate as of Wednesday was 47.7 percent, up nearly 3 percentage points since July. Its Internet response rate is 29.9 percent.
The city of Clearlake’s self-response rate is 40.9 percent while Lakeport’s is 66.1 percent, the Census Bureau reported.
Census Bureau data shows that Lake County has the sixth-lowest overall self-response rate amongst California’s 58 counties.
The county’s overall self-response rate in the 2010 Census was 44.9 percent.
Visit www.2020census.gov to respond now and for more details.
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The three new deaths bring the total COVID-19-related deaths at Lakeport Post Acute to seven, and Lake County’s overall COVID-19-related deaths to 10, according to Public Health officials.
Lake County Public Health Officer Dr. Gary Pace said that all three of the individuals who just died were older than 65 years of age and had chronic health conditions.
To date, Lake County has 433 confirmed COVID-19 cases, of which 54 are active and three hospitalized, with 372 having recovered and 10 deaths overall, Public Health reported.
As of early Wednesday evening, health departments across California reported more than 770,000 COVID-19 cases and more than 14,700 deaths statewide.
The COVID-19 outbreak at Lakeport Post Acute began late in August, with the first death reported on Aug. 29.
Pace said that so far 30 residents of the facility – a number that includes the seven who have died – have tested positive for COVID-19.
While Pace has not named the facility, the California Department of Public Health has identified it as Lakeport Post Acute in its COVID-19 reporting dashboard, as Lake County News first reported last week.
CDPH also reported that 19 health care workers at the facility have tested positive for COVID-19 as of Wednesday. The agency had confirmed health care worker cases at that facility last week, as Lake County News has reported.
“This outbreak has been heartbreaking for residents, family and staff, and it is still being monitored,” said Pace. “These cases appear to have been picked up in the community and transmitted through the facility by people providing care and services. Many people have mild symptoms, and some unknowingly spread COVID-19. Risks for the vulnerable can be dire.”
He said the cases and deaths have occurred despite the efforts by staff and Public Health officials to contain it.
Across California, 25,184 residents of 1,223 skilled nursing facilities have tested positive for COVID-19, with 4,326 dying, CPDH said Wednesday.
The state said another 18,739 health care workers in those facilities have tested positive, with 146 COVID-19-related deaths reported among those workers.
In an update to the Lakeport City Council on Tuesday night, Pace described the efforts taken at the facility to contain the virus, including setting up a separate COVID-19 wing for those who tested positive and consulting with local and state health officials.
At that point, he had warned of the potential for more deaths “in the near future.”
“This is a very vulnerable population and once the infection gets in that population it can be very devastating,” he told the council.
Pace said Wednesday that when an outbreak occurs in a residential facility, there are established protocols to stop the spread, including weekly testing of residents and staff, use of personal protective equipment, proper disinfection and establishment of a separate COVID-19 ward for infected or exposed individuals.
“These guidelines are being followed now. The State’s Healthcare-Associated Infections team has visited and consulted, and they did not identify any significant problems,” he said.
In addition to the new deaths and cases at Lakeport Post Acute, Pace said another local skilled nursing facility has reported two staffers who tested positive for the virus.
While Pace also didn’t name the second facility, CDPH said Meadowood Nursing Center in Clearlake has staff with the virus, but so far no residents there have tested positive.
In reference to the health care worker cases at Meadowood, Pace said, “They are now isolated, and this facility has put all residents in quarantine, and begun testing all residents and staff; families are being notified, as well. We are in the early stages of determining if this is a separate significant outbreak or if the virus has been prevented from spreading.”
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As of Wednesday, the Forest Service said the August Complex has burned 796,651 acres and is 30-percent contained. It began following on Aug. 17 following thunderstorms that moved over the region.
The Forest Service said the complex has destroyed 35 structures and continues to threaten another 400.
The complex is burning on the Mendocino, Shasta-Trinity and Six Rivers National Forests.
The August Complex South Zone, which includes the Doe fire that had burned into northern Lake County, has burned 531,471 acres, the US Forest Service reported.
The August Complex-South Zone will hold a virtual public meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 17, to provide a fire overview and to allow the public to ask questions. The meeting will be live-streamed on the Mendocino National Forest Facebook page.
Officials said the complex’s South Zone continues to grow in size as fire crews make good progress in some locations, while conditions in other areas are proving difficult.
The sheer size of the fire creates varying fire activity across the vast terrain and fuel conditions, the Forest Service said.
Firefighters were successful in implementing additional control line and containment measures along the eastern portion of the fire on Tuesday. The Forest Service said crews completed burning operations near Salt Creek that will provide a secure containment line once mop-up of the area is complete.
The fire continues to progress south toward Lake Pillsbury where extreme dry conditions and heavy vegetation are allowing for substantial fire growth despite having favorable winds from the southwest, the Forest Service said.
In the Lake Pillsbury area, fire crews are constructing dozer and hand lines, and tying into previously constructed lines from the 2018 Ranch fire. Firefighters are also installing hose lays and implementing measures for structure protection, officials said.
Officials said evacuation orders remain in place for Pillsbury Ranch and the entire Lake Pillsbury basin.
In the southwest area of the fire within the Yuki and Sanhedrin Wilderness Areas, fire behavior remains active, and growth has progressed west of Impassible Rock. The Forest Service said air tankers are being utilized to provide protection of important communications facilities with retardant drops.
In addition to the evacuations in Lake County, evacuation orders also are in effect for portions of Mendocino, Humboldt and Trinity counties. Evacuation information can be found at Inciweb.
