‘Immediate’ evacuations underway for fire in California town of Lower Lake, sheriff says
Residents of a small Northern California town were asked Wednesday to immediately evacuate the areas around a swift fire moving rapidly along a busy thoroughfare, authorities said.
Flames broke out at a commercial structure in the 16200 block of Main Street in Lower Lake, Lake County, Cal Fire said at 3:30 p.m. on social media. The 7-acre blaze, dubbed the Adams Fire, had a “rapid rate” of spread and structures were threatened, Cal Fire said.
In a 5:45 p.m. update, Cal Fire said the fire had reached 15 acres but that it was 15% contained, with “control lines completely around the fire.” The fire agency said firefighters would remain at the scene overnight.
An evacuation order was issued for zone LOW-E169 extended south from Morgan Valley Road to Spruce Grove Road, according to the county’s evacuation map. The orders also included areas from Highway 29 and Main Street, spreading east.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office in a 5 p.m. update split zone 169 into two zones, LOW-E169A and LOW-E169B. LOW-E169B, which included roadways just southeast of the intersection of Highway 29 and Main Street, remained under an evacuation order. LOW-E169A, further southeast, was reduced to an evacuation warning.
Evacuation zones LOW-E170 and LOW-E176, south and southeast of the mandatory evacuation were also warned to leave, authorities said, but the evacuation warnings for those two zones were lifted at 5 p.m.
“There is an IMMEDIATE threat to life and property to anyone in the impacted zone,” the Sheriff’s Office said online in the initial post. “Gather household members, pets, and essential items (including medication), lock your home, and leave now.”
Cal Fire is fighting the blaze along with the Lake County Fire Protection District.
