Fire is fed by erratic winds

Governor declares a state of emergency as Pawnee blaze spreads through Lake County.

Scores of Lake County residents remained under evacuation orders Monday morning after a wind-driven wildfire ripped across thousands of acres of brush in Northern California, authorities said.

The Pawnee fire is threatening 600 homes and structures in Spring Valley north of Highway 20 and started late Saturday afternoon northeast of Clearlake Oaks, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

The blaze has scorched 10,500 acres, and was 5% contained as of Monday evening. Twenty-two structures have been destroyed, many of those in sparsely populated patches of land outside suburban neighborhoods, officials said.

On Monday, Gov. Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency for Lake County. The declaration cuts through bureaucratic red tape to free up resources faster and enables the county to recover some firefighting costs.

The blaze is being fed by erratic winds, low humidity and above-average temperatures that have left the parched brush and vegetation vulnerable to fast-moving flames. The fire is about 70 miles north of Napa.

“The fuels over the last five years — even though we had a wet winter a year ago — the fuels are still very dry and very drought stressed,” said Jordan Motta, a captain with Cal Fire. “This fire is an example.”

Lake County has been repeatedly hit by fires in recent years. More than 150 homes were destroyed in October when multiple brush fires broke out in Northern California’s wine country and communities to its north.

In 2015, more than 500 homes were destroyed in the Valley fire, which injured four firefighters and burned 76,000 acres.

On Sunday, the state Office of Emergency Services announced it has secured federal dollars to help pull in additional resources to fight the Pawnee fire. More than 230 firefighters are battling the blaze along with two water-dropping helicopters.

Crews were stationed along the blaze’s southern and southwestern edges to protect homes, Motta said. Winds Monday were expected to push the fire north and east, away from the densest neighborhoods, he said.

Sheriff’s officials reminded residents who are evacuating to pack pets, phones and computers, prescriptions, photos and paperwork and urged residents to close their doors and windows before leaving. A shelter was opened at Lower Lake High School at 9430 Lake St.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

‘Even though we had a wet winter a year ago ... the fuels are still very dry and very drought stressed.’ — Jordan Motta, Cal Fire captain