Fires hurt 2 in Antioch, force Lake County evacuations

Firefighters were scrambling late Saturday to contain several big blazes in Northern California fueled by warm and dry weather as the fire season grew more dangerous.

Multiple fires ignited Saturday in eastern Contra Costa County, with one in Antioch burning through six structures and 10 acres of land, sending two residents to the hospital, fire officials said.

In Lake County, a 400acre blaze called the Pawnee Fire forced the evacuation of Spring Valley, a community of about 840 residents northeast of Clear Lake, officials said. The American Red Cross set up an emergency shelter at Lower Lake High School after the fire ignited before 6 p.m. Saturday.

In Tehama County, both the Stoll Fire (which burned at least 500 acres) and the Lane Fire (2,500 acres) ignited Saturday and prompted evacuations. As with the other fires, the causes were under investigation.

The Antioch fire, which broke out around 5:15 p.m., was burning on a property at Deer Hill Lane and Deer Valley Road, about a mile south of the Antioch Kaiser medical building.

The flames were difficult to contain because there was no underground water system or hydrant, said Lisa Martinez, a Contra Costa County Fire Protection District spokeswoman.

“This is going to probably be an all-night operation,” said Martinez, a fire prevention captain.

Seventy-five firefighters managed to stop the forward progress of the Antioch fire by 7:30 p.m., she said. A man and woman suffering from smoke inhalation were transported to a nearby hospital.

Martinez said firefighting resources were spread thin. The agency called in help from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and the East Contra Costa Fire Protection District.

The blazes ignited as forecasters were warning of dangerous fire conditions because of high heat, strong winds and low humidity. Red-flag warnings were issued all weekend for the East Bay hills and higher elevations in Sonoma and Napa counties, among many other places in Northern California.