LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – With wildland fires now burning inside of Lake County and around it, county officials said Saturday they will temporarily close the county park on top of Mt. Konocti due to concerns over fire danger.
“As of now, Mt. Konocti is closed to public access until further notice,” Board of Supervisors Chair Rob Brown said shortly after 4 p.m.
Brown said the decision was made in consultation with Lakeport area Supervisor Anthony Farrington, Battalion Chief Joe Huggins of Kelseyville Fire Protection District and Capt. Chris Macedo of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, who also oversees the Lake County Office of Emergency Services.
“Public Works will be placing signage at the base of the mountain near Konocti Road,” County Deputy Administrative Officer Debra Sommerfield told Lake County News on Saturday afternoon.
Sommerfield said hunting permits previously issued for the Highland Springs area also are being temporarily suspended.
The county opened the park on Mt. Konocti – which it acquired in 2009 – to the public last fall. It’s the largest park in the county, at approximately 1,520 acres.
Brown said the park closure is temporary, and will stay in effect until the Scotts Fire northwest of Lakeport and the fires in surrounding counties – including the North Pass Fire in Mendocino County and the 16 Complex in Colusa and Yolo counties – are under control and resources can be released.
“We feel that a fire on Mt. Konocti would be the greatest threat to life and property in Lake County at this time, and we don’t want to take any chances given the limited resources that are available currently,” Brown said.
Brown said he saw a steady stream of cars going up the mountain on Saturday. Seeing the nearby Scotts Fire continuing to burn, he said he decided safety precautions were in order.
At the base of Mt. Konocti are a number of communities with thousands of residents and limited routes out of the area.
With local and state resources stretched due to the wildland fires around the region, Brown said the county will consult with Kelseyville Fire and Cal Fire about when it would be safe to reopen the park.
Brown said the Board of Supervisors will add an emergency item on the park closure to its agenda this Tuesday. At that point the board will discuss with County Counsel Anita Grant what steps to take next.
Cal Fire has not given an estimate of when the Scotts Fire will be fully contained. It had burned 3,000 acres by early Saturday evening, with 5 percent containment.
However, the agency has said that both the North Pass Fire, now at 41,983 acres, and the 16 Complex, which has burned 16,837, are both expected to fully contained by Monday.
As to how long the park could end up being closed, “It could be a week, it could be less,” Brown said.
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