Fire roars into California town, destroying over 100 homes
(click on the link below to see more pics of this monster blaze)
Fire roars into California town, destroying over 100 homes
LOWER LAKE, Calif. (AP) — A wind-whipped wildfire roared through a Northern California town still recovering from a devastating blaze nearly a year ago, destroying more than 100 homes and forcing thousands of people to flee, authorities said Monday.
(1 of 12) A truck burns on Main Street in the town of Lower Lake, Calif. on Sunday, August 14, 2016. Flames continue to burn out of control in the area. Cal Fire spokeswoman Suzie Blankenship said the fire was creating its own weather pattern and shifted direction Sunday afternoon into populated areas.
August 15, 2016
The fire seemed calm Sunday before gusts kicked up the flames that tore through neighborhoods in Lower Lake, a rural town of roughly 1,300 about 90 miles north of San Francisco, officials said. It reached Main Street and burned the post office, a winery, a Habitat for Humanity office and several businesses as thick, black smoke loomed over the small downtown strip. Staff at a hospital in Clearlake, a neighboring town of about 15,000, rushed to transfer 16 patients to another hospital and firefighters carried goats and other animals to safety as homes burned around them. The fire was not moving toward Clearlake on Monday, but "we are prepared for whatever erratic behavior the fire throws at us today," said Daniel Berlant, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection spokesman.
The blaze was one of 11 large wildfires in the state, where high temperatures and parched conditions brought on by a five-year drought raised the fire danger. In central California, a day-old wildfire burned 20 structures and threatened 150 homes.
The fire in Lower Lake broke out Saturday afternoon and exploded to nearly 5 square miles as it fed on bone-dry vegetation. Besides the wind, 100-degree heat hindered firefighters struggling to get a handle on the largely out-of-control blaze. "This fire roared through the city like a wave of water — it was a wave of fire that came through here," said Lt. Doug Pittman, a Marin County sheriff's spokesman working on behalf of the forestry department.
Over 100 homes were destroyed in the town with working-class families and retirees drawn by a slower lifestyle and lower housing prices compared with the San Francisco Bay Area, a more than two-hour drive away. Officials did not immediately know how many businesses and other buildings were lost but say thousands were still threatened. No one was injured, and officials were hopeful the wind won't pick up again.
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https://www.mail.com/business/economy/4545008-fire-roars-california-town-destroying-100-homes.html#.23140-stage-hero1-4
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