Firestorm grows near Clear Lake, Calif.; 12,000 ordered from homes

Fueled by withering dry brush left by an historic drought, a wildfire near Clear Lake ballooned into a ravenous fire storm Sunday, more than doubling in size and forcing authorities to order 12,000 people out of their homes.

The Rocky Fire, which began Wednesday afternoon east of the Lake County town of Lower Lake, had destroyed 24 residences and 26 outbuildings as of the late afternoon. The fire created its own weather system, burning fiercely to the east and fanning out in multiple directions through grass land, oak and timber.

“It doubled in size (from Saturday), and that took only five hours,” said Jason Shanley, a spokesman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. “With our history of drought and some really old foliage and brush that is very sensitive and really dry, that is a recipe for disaster.”

The blaze, one of some two dozen wildfires burning across California, has threatened 6,156 homes and forced numerous mandatory evacuation orders and advisory requests for residents east of Highway 53.

“This is ominous to me. I’ve never seen anything like it,” said resident Ken Newman, who was among 200 residents, some stranded by the fire, who gathered at a community meeting Sunday afternoon at Lower Lake High School.

Newman said the rest of his family, including his small children, were driven to Sacramento so they could feel safe from path of the flames.

Evacuation centers were set up at two other Lake County high schools: Middletown and Kelseyville.

As clouds of black and gray smoke billowed in the distant mountains behind Lower Lake High, other residents from the town of 1,800 people anxiously scribbled down updates from fire officials and clung close to one another. Authorities told residents there to be ready for mandatory evacuations in case the fire neared homes.

"I don't know how prepared people will be," said local resident Tammy Black. She made sure her mother left Lower Lake yesterday, but she stayed an extra day to work at her healthcare job.

On Saturday night, the fire forced the closure of a major interstate connector, Highway 20 between Interstate 5 in Williams and Highway 53 in Lake County. Highway 16 was also closed from Rumsey northward.

The fire reached 47,000 acres by 9 a.m. Sunday morning, up from 20,000 acres on Saturday. Cal Fire reported that 1,942 personnel are fighting the blaze, with 37 water tenders, 19 helicopters, 56 bulldozers and 37 hand crews. The California and Colorado national guards deployed four C-130 air tankers on the scene.

Swirling winds were slamming heavy black smoke back onto the fire, Shanley said, causing flames “to go in all different directions.

“(Cal Fire officials) are calling the behavior of this fire unprecedented,” he said. “It is jaw dropping to see some of the things it is doing.”

Though the blaze is only 5 percent contained, firefighters have kept the blaze south of Highway 20 and west of Highway 16, Cal Fire officials said. Well over 12,000 residents have been evacuated, through both mandatory and advisory requests, east of Highway 53.

The Rocky fire was burning in three counties – Lake, Yolo and Colusa.

Elsewhere, the Lowell Fire in Nevada and Placer counties had burned more than 2,300 acres by Sunday. Four firefighters there were hospitalized for burns on Saturday. Three have been released and all are expected to make full recoveries, Cal Fire said. The blaze, which started July 25 in the Steep Hollow drainage area, was 80 percent contained.

Closer to the Rocky Fire, the Wragg Fire, which broke out July 22 near Lake Berryessa and Highway 128 had burned more than 8,000 acres by Sunday. One house and four outbuildings were destroyed in the fire, which was 95 percent contained Sunday.

Sacramento locals were enduring smokey conditions related to the Rocky fire, said National Weather Service forecaster Karl Swanberg.

The city on Sunday reached a moderate reading for particulate matter, measuring 63 on the Air Quality Index at 2 p.m., according to the Sacramento Metropolitan Air District through the Spare the Air website.

The winds are working in Sacramento’s favor, blowing toward the Rocky Fire, which is northwest of the capital. The National Weather Service measured 12 mph winds moving southwest in Sacramento at 2 p.m. Southern winds at 10 mph were forecast for Sunday night and Monday.

The Rumsey House Bed and Breakfast – just east of Highway 16 – reached maximum capacity on Saturday night despite the fire. However, several guests were forced to cancel day activities such as white water rafting, its owners said.

A front desk employee at Cache Creek Casino Resort said the casino, located in Brooks, had not experienced a drop in attendance, but patrons are experiencing smoke and ash from the Rocky fire to the northwest.

In Lower Lake, Janet Mix had already packed her most important belongings Sunday in case she needed to evacuate. Mix's sister lives in Kelseyville and lost her home to a wildfire there a few months back. Her sister's stories about that kept her up Saturday night worrying if she could face the same fate.

"I was sitting around the whole time,” Mix said. “Do we have to leave? What about now?"

This story was originally published August 2, 2015 at 9:09 PM with the headline "Firestorm grows near Clear Lake, Calif.; 12,000 ordered from homes."