Fire burns homes, hillside in Lake County community of Lucerne

Fire destroyed three homes and burned about 3 1/2 acres on a grass and oak hillside in a Lucerne neighborhood in Lake County, forcing evacuations lasting several hours before the blaze was contained.

Lake County Sheriff Brian Martin said one person was hurt in the fire and taken by ambulance to a hospital for treatment of minor injuries.

Northshore Fire Protection District Jay Beristianos said the fire, reported at 5:37 p.m. on the 4200-block of Foothill Drive, may have started with a barbecue.

“We can't express enough the importance of having defensible space around your home,” he said.

Firefighters, deputies and other first responders rushed to evacuate residences on and around Foothill Drive as the fire quickly spread, burning three homes, two vehicles and several outbuildings, Beristianos said. The fire advanced through oak grassland up the hillside community on Clear Lake's northeastern shore as neighbors hosed off roofs and gathered their belongings.

The narrow, winding hillside community roads made access difficult for the engines and trucks, Martin said. Air tankers dropped fire retardant and at least two helicopters dropped water to aid the ground effort.

Officials estimated about 30 homes were evacuated on Foothill Drive and Sunset Terrace as well as Robinson and Victoria roads, but all evacuations were lifted by about 8 p.m. after crews had the blaze contained.

You can reach Staff Writer Julie Johnson at 707-521-5220 or julie.johnson@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @jjpressdem.