LOWER LAKE, Calif. – Firefighters remain on the scene of a fire that broke out along Highway 29 Saturday afternoon.
The fire was reported shortly after 3 p.m. on Highway 29 near Hofacker Lane, between Lower Lake and Middletown.
Cal Fire Battalion Chief Greg Bertelli said the fire is estimated to have burned about eight acres.
Lake County Fire responded, and Cal Fire sent a full wildland response of five engines, two dozers, two handcrews, one helicopter, three tankers and an air attack, with Bertelli reporting that he had requested a second helicopter also respond due to the threat to nearby structures.
Initially, about three to four structures were in the fire's path, so Bertelli said firefighters went on a direct attack to protect the buildings. None were damaged.
Bertelli said there were no injuries reported during the fire.
The fire was reported to be contained at around 4:11 p.m., according to radio reports, with aircraft released.
Shortly after 5 p.m., Bertelli reported that there was still a lot of smoke in the fire area, and three to four hours of heavy mop up would be needed due to a lot of dead logs in the perimeter.
There also was a concern about evening winds that were picking up, Bertelli said.
As a result of the winds, “We're keeping a majority of the resources here,” he said.
The fire was located right off the roadway. Early in the incident, the California Highway Patrol's incident logs indicated the top of Coyote Grade had been closed, with heavy smoke in the roadway.
Bertelli said the highway is open now but the California Highway Patrol remained on scene early Saturday evening to provide traffic control around the fire area.
Bertelli said a fire investigator was on scene to try to determine the cause.
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