Day 10: Clayton Fire Hits 95% Containment

Community rebuilding efforts underway include an assistance center in Lower Lake and a public meeting on Wednesday.
Containment on the Clayton Fire, now in its 10th day in Lake County south of Lower Lake, has hit 95 percent with 3,920 acres consumed, according to this morning’s figures from Cal Fire.

Current data indicates that the fire has destroyed 299 structures — including 189 single-family homes, eight commercial structures and 102 other structures, such as sheds and smaller outbuildings.

“As surveys are completed and additional data is confirmed, the number of structures damaged or destroyed may change,” Cal Fire said.

Presently at the Clayton Fire scene are 1,216 firefighters, the agency said.

A community meeting, hosted by the Lake County’s Long-Term Recovery Task Force, is set for 6 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 24 at the Lower Lake High School gymnasium at 9430 Lake St., the Lake County Sheriff’s Office announced today.

The session, open to the public, will focus on recovery updates and allow fire survivors to share concerns and ask questions of Task Force members. For those unable to attend, the meeting will be broadcast live on the Lake County OES Facebook Page at https://www.facebook.com/LakeCountyOES/ and be available for viewing later, as well.

The Task Force is a partnership of local, state and community representatives working to aid in the recovery of Clayton Fire survivors and the rebuilding of Lower Lake.

In addition, a Local Assistance Center for residents, offering numerous referral services, is scheduled to open today at the old Lower Lake Bank Building, 16195 Main St. in Lower Lake, and will operate from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. through Friday, Aug. 26, according to the Lake County Sheriff’s team.

Agencies and services will include LEAP, Assessor-Recorder, Community Development, Behavioral Health, Public Health, Environmental Health, Veterans Services, Lake Family Resource Center, Workforce Lake, United Policyholders, Social Security Administration, Contractor’s State License Board, DMV, EDD, Ca Department of Insurance, State Board of Equalization, Franchise Tax Board, Ca Veteran Affairs, Victims Compensation and Government Claims and more.

All Clayton Fire survivors are encouraged to attend and register, enabling providers to communicate when additional services and resources become available.

The cause of the Clayton blaze now is officially listed as “arson,” as a Clearlake man was arrested last week for suspicion of arson for the fire and other blazes in the area.

The Clayton Fire broke out Aug. 13 evening near Highway 29 and Clayton Creek, south of Lower Lake.

On Aug. 21, Cal Fire’s Incident Management Team 3 gave command of the Clayton Fire to the Cal Fire/Sonoma Lake Napa Unit.