Thousands evacuated as wildfire in Northern California grows

LOWER LAKE, Calif., Aug. 15 (UPI) -- Thousands have been evacuated and at least 175 homes have been destroyed as the Clayton Fire in Northern California expanded.

California Gov. Jerry Brown issued a state of emergency for Lake County Monday, expediting aid and resources to the area affected by the fire.

Mandatory evacuations in the Lower Lake and Clearlake area included St. Helena Hospital Clearlake. All patients were transferred to Sutter Lakeside Hospital in Lakeport, KCRA reported.

The fire, which began Saturday night, covered 4,000 acres and was 5 percent contained in Lake County, Cal Fire posted in an update Sunday night.

A total of 1,044 firefighters were trying to control the fire but are being hampered by strong winds, low humidity and hot temperatures. Equipment includes seven helicopters and six air tankers.

The fire is spreading near Highway 29 in heavy brush.

"You can't imagine what took place," said Cal Fire spokesman Scott McLean. "There was extreme fire behavior and winds that pushed it across the road into structure after structure after structure. We had airplanes dropping retardant, helicopters dropping thousands of gallons of water trying to get ahead of this."

Firefighters are trying to cut a ring of fire breaks around the flames while helicopters and tankers dump retardant and water.

"You have the dryness of the fuels," McLean said "You have the weather concerning us right now as the winds -- and you have the topography that makes it very difficult."

The blaze is near where wildfire charred thousands of acres in Lake County just a year ago.

Classes were canceled Monday for all Konocti Unified School District sites because of the fire.