Rocky Fire grows to 13,500 acres in Lake County

Firefighters struggled Thursday to slow a fast-moving wildfire that has destroyed at least three homes in eastern Lake County and forced the evacuation of about 650 people while continuing to spread over than 21 square miles of remote pasture and timberland by nightfall.

A day after the Rocky fire broke out eight miles east of Lower Lake, fire crews switched from emergency duties - evacuating residents and defending structures - to digging containment lines around the blaze. On its outskirts and in its possible path are rural communities in Morgan Valley and the town of Lower Lake, home to about 1,300 residents.

Amid triple-digit temperatures, firefighters saw few gains Thursday despite some fleeting rain that witnesses said made for a surreal scene in a world otherwise clouded by smoke. As of 9:55 p.m., the fire had burned 13,500 acres and destroyed several outbuildings. It was about 5 percent contained, according to Cal Fire. No injuries were reported.

The terrain presented a stiff challenge for firefighters. Oak woodlands, grasslands and chaparral dominate the area, with the landscape broken into hills and canyons that make access difficult for crews.

“This terrain is really rugged and steep, and the vegetation is very thick and dry,” said Cal Fire spokesman Paul Lowenthal. He also noted that the area hasn’t had any recent blazes, making it even more ripe for a large-scale blaze during a drought era.

“It would be easier to contain if had a burn history,” Lowenthal said. “You wouldn’t have had fuel to burn.”

Fire crews were able to catch at least one break as the wind came from the west to the east on Thursday, pushing flames away from the Lower Lake area, Lowenthal said.

The fire, sparked in brush and timberland at about 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, grew over 24 hours to become the largest active wildfire in Northern California and second only to a 31,500-acre blaze in Southern California that was almost completely contained.

Up to 5,000 of the torched acres are on lands of the Cache Creek Natural Area managed by the Bureau of Land Management, said Martha Maciel, spokeswoman for the federal agency.

Mandatory orders to evacuate and road closures stretched from a neighborhood on the eastern edge of Lower Lake and eastward along rural roads crisscrossing a swath of steep terrain and rolling ranch lands to the Napa County border where Morgan Valley Road becomes Knoxville Road. The fire also crept into the newly designated Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument Area.

More than 30 people sought refuge at the Highland Senior Center in Clearlake Wednesday night, and more than a dozen people remained at the center Thursday morning, including Bill Hillbrandi and his sister Dini Marotto.

The siblings tried calling the landlines of their homes off Rocky Creek Road near the fire’s origin. They were among many who fled their homes Wednesday, with people reporting walls of flames cresting ridges and choking smoke. They left with their dogs and nothing else.

When their phones rang Thursday morning, they were briefly elated that it could mean their homes were still standing, although those hopes were quickly dashed after learning that such a sign does not necessarily indicate the phone connections and structures were still there.

“At least we had two minutes of happiness,” Marotto said. “False alarm.”

Outside the senior center in Clearlake, Donna Magee of Los Angeles said that at least one of her family’s two mobile homes on a property off Morgan Valley Road had been destroyed. The structure was Magee’s vacation residence and she did not know the status of her mother’s full-time residence on the land.

“We’ll come up and build something else; I’m OK,” Magee said.

State Sen. Mike McGuire, in town for a breakfast meeting with local judges, made a brief visit to the shelter to speak with evacuees.

“The concern is this has been such a fast-moving fire,” said McGuire, D-Healdsburg.

The evacuation center was moved to Middletown High School later Thursday.

A total of 918 fire personnel were fighting the blaze late Thursday, with 26 bulldozers on hand to cut lines and eight air tankers and eight helicopters making drops.

Many of those fighting the fire are from Sonoma County departments or hail from other North Coast communities.

Monte Rio Fire Chief Steve Baxman worked with a team assigned to an area off Morgan Valley Road, where they were rolling out 4,500 feet of hose to reach hot spots.

“It’s hot, smoke and straight up and down (terrain),” Baxman said. “It’s rugged, it’s hot, it’s miserable.”

Along the fire’s western edge, Baxman said that they were pre-emptively burning areas not yet touched by fire and visiting homes to talk with residents who did not leave the area.

“Anything close to the road, we want it burned out to prevent spread,” Baxman said. “We feel like we’re doing something.”

Lowenthal, an assistant Santa Rosa fire marshal who was deployed to Lake County to serve as a Cal Fire spokesman, said the rain showers that fell Thursday were welcome but were too faint to make a significant difference with the fire.

“As it hits the ground you can see it evaporating,” Lowenthal said. “It’s too little too late to be beneficial right now.”

Helicopters and air crews were somewhat hampered Thursday by thick smoke hugging the rugged hills, limiting visibility, he said.

Some relief with slightly cooler temperatures and increased humidity was expected to set in today with a forecast high of 98 degrees, dropping through Monday to a high of 92 degrees, meteorologist Eric Kurth said.

A fire investigation team Thursday was examining the area where the fire started along Morgan Valley Road. Officials have not released any information about how the fire began.

Mandatory evacuations were in place for the following roads:

- Morgan Valley Road from Bonham Road and east five miles.

- Lower Lake area: Spruce Grove Road, Noble Ranch, Jerusalem Grade and Cantwell Ranch

Road closures include:

- Morgan Valley Road

- Rocky Creek Road

- Dam Road

- Mustang Court

- Quarterhorse Lane

- Sleepy Hollow