Discarded cigarette sparked fire, officials say

CLEAR LAKE >> An “improperly discarded cigarette” caused a 20-acre wildfire that sparked near the shores of Clear Lake on Thursday, state fire officials said.

The Golf Fire, burning in Lake County in the community of Kelseyville, was 95% contained as of Sunday morning, according to Cal Fire.

The blaze, about 120 miles north of San Francisco, was centered near Soda Bay Road and Golf Drive, next to the Buckingham Country Club.

“After a meticulous and thorough investigation,” Cal Fire investigators “determined that the Golf Fire was caused by an improperly discarded cigarette,” the agency said in a statement Saturday night.

No further details about how the determination was made were released by Cal Fire.

The fire forced evacuation of people living in the Riviera West and Buckingham Park neighborhood, as it threatened about 40 homes, officials said.

The Lake County sheriff lifted those evacuation orders Friday.

About 65 firefighters and five engines worked to control the fire, and one firefighter had minor injuries, Cal Fire said. No structures or homes were damaged.

As of Saturday night, fire crews were extinguishing hot spots, and Soda Bay road had reopened open in both directions.

Cal Fire said it’s important to ensure cigarettes are completely out before throwing them away, and to never throw cigarettes out of vehicles.

“When needing to discard a cigarette use a deep sturdy ashtray and place it away from anything that can burn,” Cal Fire said.

“Do not discard cigarettes in vegetation such as mulch, potted plants or landscaping, peat moss, dried grasses, leaves or other things that could ignite easily.”