John Bacon

USA TODAY

Fire officials announced an arrest late Monday of a man on suspicion of starting a blaze that has raced through a rural Northern California town, destroying more than 100 homes and forcing evacuation of neighborhoods and a hospital.

Cal Fire authorities said Damin Anthony Pashilk, 40, of Clearlake, Calif., has been charged with 17 counts of arson in Lake County, including the 4,000-acre Clayton fire.

The fire tore through Lower Lake, a town of about 1,300 people 100 miles north of San Francisco, and was "burning aggressively toward the north," the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said in an online update Monday. Cal Fire said more homes were threatened in Lower Lake and nearby Clearlake, and St. Helena Hospital was evacuated.

"The fire behavior remains intense," the update said.

The scene in Lower Lake was of devastation as homes, businesses and vehicles were torched by the blaze.

Illegal campfire sparked huge Big Sur-area wildfire

Lake County has been the scene of several major fires in recent years. The Valley Fire alone, which burned more than 100 square miles last year, left four people dead and destroyed more than 1,300 homes.

“We are all devastated to have so much destruction,” Melissa Fulton, head of the Lake County Chamber of Commerce, told The Sacramento Bee. “We feel we were put through hell last year and now we are in it again.”

The latest blaze, which began Saturday, had burned through almost five square miles Monday. The rugged terrain, including woodland and heavy brush, made access difficult for firefighters. Drought conditions, strong winds and 100-degree temperatures helped fuel the blaze, which was just 5% contained.

Lt. Doug Pittman, a Marin County sheriff’s spokesman working with Cal Fire, told the San Francisco Chronicle the fire would have a "very long-term, devastating impact" on the area.

“It went from one side of town to another,” he said. “At one point, we couldn’t see one square block down the road because of the smoke. It turned day into night, and it rode like a wave through town, bringing mass destruction.”