KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – A first-of-its-kind effort over the weekend removed tons of vegetation along Soda Bay Road in an attempt to protect the thousands of homes nearby.

Supervisor Rob Brown’s “1,000 Hands to Protect Lake County Homes” took place on Saturday morning along a six-mile stretch of Soda Bay Road from the Clear Lake Riviera to Soda Bay.

“It was very successful,” Brown said.

He said he had never heard of such an event happening previously. He organized it to give some added buffer to protect against roadside fires in the Soda Bay corridor, where an estimated 12,000 of Lake County’s 65,000 residents live.

Brown had been seeking about 500 volunteers to work from 6 to 10 a.m. Saturday.

He said about 300 people showed up, getting so much done so quickly that the work was wrapped up by 9 a.m.

“It was amazing,” said Brown, who added that the area now looks so good with the roadside brush cleared and removed.

Brown said there were a surprising number of people who came from all over Lake County to assist in the effort. Among them were county employees, Cal Fire officials and homeowners association members. He said assistance also came from the Bureau of Land Management workers, Caltrans and Lake County Waste Solutions.

“I was nervous about it. I didn’t know what to expect,” he said.

But he said there were 100 people waiting to get started at 6 a.m., with the rest joining shortly thereafter.

They parked along Soda Bay Road, where the southbound lane was closed from Riviera Heights Drive to Point Lakeview Road, and got to work with weed wackers and hand tools. Brown said they were assisted by county crews, many of them volunteering their time.

Brown said the volunteers were tearing it up. “It looked like a bunch of volunteer beavers,” he joked.

“I can’t even believe how much work they got done in such a short amount of time,” Brown said, adding he appreciated and was proud of those who participated.

He said county staff has estimated that they’ve removed 40 dump truck loads of brush that volunteers cut that morning.

Brown said he is not yet sure if he will do another event soon, as it will depend on the fuel load, but he believes other supervisors are looking at holding similar events in their districts.

On Sunday, Brown followed up with a fire extinguisher giveaway at Riviera Elementary. He said there are still some of the fire extinguishers left, and he’ll be following up with an announcement on how those who still want the fire extinguishers can pick one up in Kelseyville.

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