At least 5 homes burn in Clearlake Oaks as flames trigger evacuations

Lake County authorities ordered evacuations Sunday evening for a two-block radius in Clearlake Oaks after at least five homes were destroyed by fire, fire personnel said.

As many as 50 calls reporting the fire were made to authorities shortly before 6 p.m., according to Cal Fire. And, officials sent out an alert about the blaze, called the Hoover fire, shortly before 6:10 p.m.

The evacuation zone spanned from the intersection of 1st and Hoover streets.

Witnesses said the fire initially started in one home, but embers from that blaze were blown onto the fences and into the yards of neighboring homes.

Residents grabbed garden hoses to try to stop the flames from spreading to the houses, but the winds kept spreading the embers, which also ignited several outbuildings, witnesses said.

The high winds, which were out of the west, also complicated firefighting efforts.

All of 2nd Street from Hoover to Butler streets was evacuated, officials said. Also, power lines were downed in the area, which further complicated efforts to keep the flames from spreading.

Workers from Pacific Gas & Electric were on scene Sunday evening.

No injuries were reported, however, firefighters were slowed by the high heat, witnesses said. Temperatures in the area at the time of the fires reached as high as 95 degrees, according to fire officials.

At least 50 firefighters battled the blazes, which were contained to an area near 1st and Hoover shortly after 7:15 p.m.

Fire personnel from Cal Fire, the Northshore Fire Protection District and the Lake County Fire Protection District were helping to battle the blazes.

In addition, about seven cats were rescued from the various homes that caught fire, witnesses said. Fire personnel brought them to an incident command center where evacuees were being helped.

The Red Cross was providing assistance to three different families – five adults, one child and about a dozen pets.

A cause for the initial fire is under investigation, Cal Fire said.

Staff photographer Kent Porter contributed to this report.

You can reach Staff Writer Mya Constantino at mya.constantino@pressdemocrat.com or 707-521-5220. On Twitter @searchingformya.