LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – With the Jerusalem fire pushing aggressively to the north, firefighters continued their efforts to hold the fire's growth with ground and air resources, while local officials called for new mandatory evacuations on Tuesday evening.
During the course of Tuesday the fire grew another 2,000 acres, hitting the 14,000-acre mark by evening, at which point Cal Fire said it was 5-percent contained.
The fire began Sunday afternoon in the Jerusalem Valley area northeast of Middletown, south of the perimeter of the Rocky fire, which remained at 69,636 acres and 88-percent containment on Tuesday. The causes of both fires are being actively investigated.
More resources continue to be moved to the Jerusalem fire, which had 1,660 personnel assigned on Tuesday, along with 118 engines, 53 hand crews, 28 dozers, 22 water tenders, 18 helicopters and four air tankers also committed, Cal Fire said.
Based on Cal Fire's maps of the incident, a spur of the Jerusalem fire moved into Napa County some time during the past day.
Cal Fire said the Jerusalem fire is burning in heavy brush, with lack of roads and erratic winds continuing to hamper firefighters' efforts to contain the blaze.
On Tuesday evening, because of the fire's movement and continued growth, the Lake County Sheriff's Office issued new mandatory evacuations for all residents along Morgan Valley Road from the Rocky Fire burn area, which is near the Reiff Road intersection, east to the Napa County line, and for Reiff Road from the Morgan Valley Road intersection east to the Yolo County line, as Lake County News has reported.
Previously placed under mandatory evacuation was the Jerusalem Valley area east of Spruce Grove, including Tinilyn Road, Nicholas Way, Jaclyn Road, June Bug Drive, Jerusalem Grade, Jerusalem Valley Road, Jerusalem Road, W Jerusalem Road, Canyon Road, Coon Flat Road and Daly Place.
Officials said advisory evacuations remain in effect for Grange Road from Luchetti Ranch Road east to Bucksnort Creek, and Butts Canyon Road from Bucksnort Creek east to the Napa County line.
Altogether, Cal Fire said 50 structures remain threatened, but none have been burned or damaged thus far, with reports from the fire lines indicating firefighters have been working on structure protection.
Evacuees are being directed to Middletown High School, 20932 Big Canyon Road, where a Red Cross evacuation shelter remains open, telephone 415-971-0797.
The Lake County Office of Emergency Services reported that the Red Cross will close the Middletown shelter at noon on Wednesday and reopen the shelter at Kelseyville High School, 5480 Main St. That shelter can be reached at 415-307-4503.
Supervisors get fire update
The Board of Supervisors held a special meeting on Tuesday afternoon to discuss recovery efforts relating to the Rocky fire, with Supervisor Jim Comstock – in whose district the Jerusalem fire is burning – giving the board and a group of county and state officials an update on the incident.
Comstock noted during the report that he and his family have received an advisory evacuation notice because of the Jerusalem fire.
“It's expected to get a whole lot larger that it is now,” Comstock said of the fire, which at that point was still reported to be 12,000 acres.
He said the fire is burning into unpopulated areas, as well as the Rocky fire perimeter. “It's basically brush, rocks and rattlesnakes.”
Comstock cautioned that, due to conditions – including a forecast of hotter weather at week's end along with northwest winds – the fire could double in size again, as it did over Monday night and early Tuesday morning.
He said there is an effort to protect major power infrastructure in the area – which supplies electricity to much of the southern part of the county – from the fire.
Comstock said the fire is being driven by fuel and dry conditions, and has left some areas looking like moonscapes.
He credited firefighters for their jobs in protecting people and property.
Supervisor Jim Steele asked if there was any recorded burn history in the area. Comstock said yes, that much of the fire area has been burned previously. The site of the former US Coast Guard LORAN station, however, hasn't burned since the 1940s, he added.
Comstock had cautioned that a large plume of smoke was expected to be seen from the fire on Tuesday, and that was the case, with drift smoke that was seen as far away as Clearlake Oaks triggering calls to 911, based on radio reports.
He said he was remaining cautiously optimistic about progress on the fire as long as the winds come from the west.
Cal Fire said Jerusalem Valley Road is closed to all traffic at Spruce Grove Road, Morgan Valley Road from Reiff Road southeast to Napa County line and Reiff Road from Morgan Valley east to Yolo County line.
Per the Napa County Sheriff's Office, Berryessa Knoxville Road also is closed from Lake Berryessa north.
Cal Fire continues to estimate the Jerusalem fire will be fully contained on Aug. 17.
The Lake County Air Quality Management District reported that current weather patterns are carrying smoke from the Jerusalem fire to the east and north of Lake County, which so far has resulted in county air quality remaining in the good to moderate range.
However, the district said early forecasts for Friday and into the weekend indicate a change in the weather pattern that may bring smoke back into Lake County from the Jerusalem fire, causing air quality issues.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.