The River fire area, part of the Mendocino Complex, as of the morning of Saturday, July 28, 2018. Map courtesy of Cal Fire.

The Ranch fire, part of the Mendocino Complex, as of the morning of Saturday, July 28, 2018. Map courtesy of Cal Fire.

The mandatory evacuation area around Lakeport, Calif. Image courtesy of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – With the River and Ranch fires bearing down on Lake County, local officials have issued new evacuation orders as crews on the fire lines try to stop the fires’ advance.A new size estimate hasn’t yet been offered of the complex, which as of Saturday morning had burned 9,500 acres, with hundreds of structures threatened.Just before 1:30 p.m., the sheriff’s office ordered mandatory evacuations for the area west of Highway 29 in and around the city of Lakeport, including all areas west of Highway 29 between Highland Springs Road and 11th Street/Scotts Valley Road, and west to the Lake/Mendocino County line.That was followed at 4 p.m. by a mandatory evacuation order for Bachelor Valley and Witter Springs. Shortly before that order, radio traffic indicated the Ranch fire had jumped Bachelor Valley Road.Minutes later, Incident command issued a call for an immediate need strike team of three engines to respond to Bachelor Valley for structure protection, according to radio reports.About 20 minutes later, Scotts Valley was ordered to evacuate to the north and exit onto Highway 20.At 4:30 p.m., Sutter Lakeside Hospital in Lakeport was reported to be under mandatory evacuation.Sutter Health spokesman Clayton Warren said one patient from the emergency room and 14 other patients were evacuated. He said staff are now coordinating with the Sutter Health transfer center to determine which hospitals they’ll be transported to next, with Novato a possible location.At 4:37 p.m., the Lake County Sheriff’s Office ordered residents on Elk Mountain Road north of Rancheria Road to evacuate immediately.Law enforcement officers of multiple agencies have been working on evacuations throughout the day.The Lake County Sheriff’s Office said shelters have been set up at Mountain Vista Middle School in Kelseyville, 5081 Konocti Road, and at Twin Pine Casino, 22223 Highway 29 in Middletown.Shortly after 5 p.m., air operations on the complex reported that all aircraft – with the exception of one plane to be used for operations – were being pulled from the incident, with no more retardant to be dropped for the day, due to a fire that had broken out in the Berryessa Highlands in Napa County on Saturday afternoon.Throughout the afternoon and evening, Lake County Animal Care and Control staff and volunteers with the Lake Evacuation and Animal Protection group, or LEAP, were reported to be working their way through the mandatory evacuation area.At about 5:45 p.m. teams were reported to be working along Scotts Valley Road, picking up animals including goats, a mini donkey and an ostrich.Emergency operations centers are now in operation in both Mendocino and Lake counties in response to the complex.On Saturday afternoon, the Mendocino County Office of Emergency Services reported that a proclamation of a local emergency had been declared due to the fires.Caltrans reported that Highway 175 is closed from the junction of Highway 101 in Hopland to 1.4 miles west of the south junction with Highway 29 at Mathews Road due to the fire.As of 5:30 p.m., Highway 20 and Highway 29 remain open, according to Caltrans.





The Lake County Sheriff’s Office confirmed the following list of mandatory and advisory evacuations just before 8 p.m.



Mandatory evacuation orders



River fire



– All areas west of Highway 29 between Highland Springs Road and 11th Street/Scotts Valley Road, and west to the Lake/Mendocino County Line. This includes all of Hendricks Road.



Ranch fire



– Witter Springs, Bachelor Valley, Saratoga Springs.

– Elk Mountain Road, north of Rancheria Road to Middle Creek Campground and west to the county line.

– East side of Elk Mountain Road, from Rancheria Road to the Middle Creek Campground.

– Blue Lakes.



Advisory evacuation orders



River fire



– South of Park Way and east of Highway 29 to Big Valley Road – basically everything east of 29 between Park Way and Big Valley.



Ranch fire



– Entire community of Upper Lake and surrounding areas.



Additional updates will be posted below.



UPDATES:



6:55 p.m.: Firefighters report that people are stopping along Highway 20 and causing a dangerous situation. They also were concerned that the Ranch fire was going to cross the highway and reach high tension power lines. The specific location was not reported. The fire also was said to be making significant runs.



7:04 p.m.: Two planes were requested to respond to the River fire.



7:05 p.m.: The spread of the Ranch fire along Highway 20 was reportedly slowing, with firefighters holding it in a creekbed, with the wind in their favor. The California Highway Patrol was clearing people off Highway 20. There were still concerns about the fire getting to power lines.



7:16 p.m.: The Lake County Sheriff’s Office, Lakeport Police Department and allied agencies – Clearlake Police, Ukiah Police and the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office – are actively patrolling for unauthorized entry into evacuation areas. Officials said any unauthorized person who willfully and knowingly enters a disaster area and who willfully remains within the area after receiving notice to evacuate or leave shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.



7:20 p.m.: From the Lake County Sheriff’s Office: “This is a mandatory evacuation notice for the east side of Elk Mountain Road from Rancheria Road to the Middle Creek Campground. Residents are advised to evacuate immediately. A shelter has been established at the Mountain Vista Middle School in Kelseyville, and another at the Twin Pines Casino in Middletown that will open after 11 p.m.



7:38 p.m.: The Lake County Sheriff’s Office issued an evacuation advisory for the entire community of Upper Lake and the surrounding areas due to the approach of the Ranch Fire.



8:36 p.m.: A mandatory evacuation notice for the Blue Lakes area has been issued. The Lake County Sheriff's Office asks residents to please leave immediately.



9:38 p.m.: Cal Fire reports the Ranch fire now at 5,000 acres and 5-percent contained, while the River fire is 9,000 acres, also 5-percent contained. Total structures threatened by both remains at 386. So far, two structures destroyed.



Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.









