Wildfire burns 20 acres south of Kelseyville in Lake County

A 20-acre wildfire burning Monday in Lake County briefly triggered an evacuation order for a rural residential area south of Kelseyville.

Firefighters stopped the fire’s forward progress within about two hours of its start, which was reported just before 2 p.m. in the 9500 block of Kelsey Creek Road, authorities said. Dubbed the Kelsey fire, the blaze was held to about 20 acres, according to Cal Fire.

“They’re still getting some spot fires and working against the wind, and they are still putting out the interior of the fire,” Cal Fire spokesman Louie Karlow said at about 4:20 p.m.

Lake County Sheriff Brian Martin advised residents to remain vigilant in an area south of Kelsey Creek Drive and Wight Way, including Carder Road. The Sheriff’s Office initially ordered people to evacuate homes south of Kelsey Creek Drive and Wight Way, but the order was reduced to an advisory and then lifted by 3:45 p.m.

“They’ve canceled some resources, and it looks like the crews that they have are going to keep this thing contained with minimal structures threatened,” Martin said in a video posted on his Facebook page.

Three helicopters, 11 engines, three water tenders, a dozer and four fire crews were battling the fire.

Cal Fire Capt. Aaron Loscar said he had no preliminary information about the Kelsey fire’s cause.

Another fire that ignited in Lake County Sunday southwest of Lakeport remained at 36 acres Monday and was about 80 percent contained. Called the Ridge fire, the fire was reported about 2 p.m. Sunday and was burning near the intersection of Highway 175 and Ridge Road. No structures were burned and crews expected to reach 95 percent containment by nightfall, according to Karlow.

Monday’s Kelsey fire burned in an area south of Kelseyville near a separate fire that ignited July 21 and burned 50 acres before it was contained three days later. That fire, dubbed the Carder fire, remains under investigation.