CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Firefighters are investigating the cause of an early morning fire in Clearlake that burned several structures, destroying two of them.
Lake County Fire Chief Willie Sapeta said the fire was dispatched just after 7 a.m.
The fire originated in a vacant structure at 14537 Palmer Ave. where police officers recently had been chasing out squatters, Sapeta said.
He said the fire originally was reported as a fully involved structure. As fire personnel were on the way, they heard police radio traffic that indicated there also were other buildings on fire.
Sapeta said the fire destroyed the structure of origin. It spread to a house on the east side, doing minimal damage there, and then to a converted studio off of Emory to the south, which he said was 75-percent damaged.
To the west of the main structure was a small structure that was destroyed. In that building firefighters found an illegal marijuana grow, Sapeta said.
Lake County Fire was joined by Northshore Fire in working the incident, with a total of five engines, a water tender, three medic units and two company officers committed to the incident, according to Sapeta.
Sometime between 8:30 and 8:45 a.m. the fire was fully contained, but Sapeta said several hours of overhaul were required.
There were no injuries, he said.
On Tuesday afternoon Sapeta said the fire’s cause remained under investigation.
“We’re not sure how that got so well involved without anybody seeing it,” he said.
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Tuesday morning Clearlake fire destroys two structures, damages two others
- Elizabeth Larson
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