CLEARLAKE OAKS, Calif. – Firefighters continued working overnight on a fire that began Tuesday afternoon along Highway 20 east of Clearlake Oaks.
The Mule fire began near the Double Eagle Ranch subdivision at about 2:45 p.m. Tuesday, as Lake County News has reported.
Initial reports indicated the fire had begun as the result of a motorhome that caught fire and spread to a nearby hillside just east of the entrance to the Double Eagle Ranch subdivision, located about 13 miles east of Clearlake Oaks.
The fire also had resulted in the sheriff’s office briefly calling for evacuations which were canceled after about a half-hour on Tuesday afternoon.
Cal Fire, Northshore Fire and Lake County Fire sent units, with Cal Fire using air resources to try to contain the blaze, which at one point was estimated to have the potential to burn 300 acres.
The sheriff’s office reported just before 4:45 p.m. that forward progress had been stopped on the fire.
However, work continued through the night. Some resources were released throughout the evening while Cal Fire arranged for other units to come back on Wednesday morning.
On Tuesday evening, Cal Fire reported that the fire was approximately 21.3 acres, with containment at 15 percent.
Also, on Tuesday night, a Northshore Fire ambulance was dispatched to the fire scene to transport an inmate firefighter with an unspecified injury to the hospital, based on radio reports.
Late on Tuesday, the CHP and Caltrans reported that traffic control is in effect in the fire area, as Highway 20 had been reduced to one late of traffic in that location through the night.
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.