PD Editorial: Valley fire’s staggering toll is still growing

As of this writing, almost a third of Lake County’s population is displaced and hundreds of homes and businesses are gone, destroyed in a conflagration that’s still burning out of control.

The vast scale of the damage and upheaval is difficult to fathom, conjuring visions of some distant war.

This is the third catastrophic wildfire to strike Lake County in six weeks, fulfilling the worst fears about tinder-dry conditions brought on by a drought now in its fourth year.

Many of the families who fled Middletown, Loch Lomond and other small towns as the Valley fire raced across southern Lake County don’t know when they will be allowed to return - or whether they will find their homes still standing.

Kent Porter, a Press Democrat staff photographer who grew up in Lake County, spent the weekend on the front lines. His photos of flames and devastation tell the story of a blaze that has challenged and, at times, overwhelmed the resources of the 1,400 men and women defending lives and property in the fire’s path. His description, shared with colleagues in an email, add another dimension to the still developing story:

“I am floored by the amount of devastation I’ve seen,” Porter wrote Monday morning. “Whole communities were wiped off the map in a matter of minutes. We all have friends up there, families and people we’ve met in passing. What struck me the most is the utter completeness of this disaster.

“Virtually nothing is left above the proper of Cobb. The houses are down to foundations, even some chimneys are gone. Driving through the area is like looking at a ghost community. So much gone, so many ways of life disrupted, so much hardship remains for the people affected.

“In Middletown, you can draw a line where firefighters stopped the fire. They saved downtown. Anderson Springs is nearly 80 percent wiped out, same goes for the homes along (Highway) 175 in the canyon to Cobb. Hidden Valley suffered losses too as did Hobergs and Adams Springs.”

As of Monday afternoon, 61,000 acres - about 95 square miles - had burned, with 400 homes and hundreds of other structures destroyed. One person had died, and about 19,000 people were evacuated in a county with a little more than 63,000 residents.

Despite improving weather conditions, both numbers are expected to grow before the fire is contained. “This fire is not done yet,” Cal Fire spokesman Scott McLean said. “It will take more structures.”

Sheriff Brian Martin described the Valley fire as “the worst tragedy Lake County has ever seen.”

Lake County’s residents tend to be proud and self-reliant people, but they will need help to recover from the wildfires that have wrought so much destruction this summer.

Truckloads of donated supplies - water, pet food, clothing and more - began arriving Sunday at evacuation centers in Calistoga and Kelseyville. Gov. Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency and the Federal Emergency Management Agency will pick up much of the cost of fighting the fire and providing food and shelter for displaced residents.

More will be needed, even after the fire is put out and people return home. If you want to help, relief agencies say cash donations are best as money can be directed to ever-changing needs. You can donate to a special account at Redwood Credit Union (www.redwoodcu.org/lakecountyfirevictims) or to the Red Cross (www.redcross.org/local/ca/santa-rosa).