The Clayton Fire was a

wildfire A wildfire, forest fire, or a bushfire is an unplanned and uncontrolled fire in an area of Combustibility and flammability, combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire may be more specifically identified as a ...

that started on August 13, 2016 just south of Lower Lake in

Lake County, California Lake County is a County (United States), county located in the north central portion of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 68,163. The county seat is Lakeport, California, Lakepor ...

. The fire burned a total of and destroyed 300 buildings, before it was fully contained on August 26. Damin Pashilk, a

construction Construction are processes involved in delivering buildings, infrastructure, industrial facilities, and associated activities through to the end of their life. It typically starts with planning, financing, and design that continues until the a ...

worker from Clearlake was arrested and facing 17 counts of arson related to the Clayton Fire and other fires.

Events

The fire was first reported at 6:03 pm on August 13 near Highway 29 and Clayton Creek Road. By August 14, the second day, 10 homes had been destroyed and up to 6,000 people had been evacuated from Lower Lake and Clearlake, including St. Helena Hospital Clearlake. An evacuation center was opened at Highlands Senior Center and was evacuated the following day. By August 15, the third day, 5 percent of the fire had been contained, burning a total of , 175 buildings, including the offices of a

Habitat for Humanity Habitat for Humanity International (HFHI), generally referred to as Habitat for Humanity or Habitat, is a U.S. non-governmental, and tax-exempt 501(C)(3) Christian nonprofit organization which seeks to build affordable housing. The international ...

affiliate, had been destroyed and 1,044 fire personnel were on the ground. Road closures were announced throughout the area, including Clayton Creek Road at Highway 29, Morgan Valley Road, North Spruce Grove Road at Spruce Grove Road, and Jerusalem Grade South Spruce Grove Road. State Route 53 at Highway 29 is closed. New evacuation centers were opened at

Twin Pine Casino Twin Pine casino is an Indian casino located in Middletown, California Middletown is a census-designated place (CDP) in Lake County, California, United States. Its population was 725 at the 2020 census down from 1,323 at the 2010 census, whi ...

, Kelseyville High School, and the

Seventh-day Adventist Church The Seventh-day Adventist Church (SDA) is an Adventist Protestant Christian denomination which is distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the seventh day of the week in the Christian (Gregorian) and the Hebrew calendar, as the Sa ...

in Lakeport. As of August 16, the fourth day, 1,664 fire personnel were on the ground and 20 percent of the fire had been contained. It was reported, at the time, as burning a total of . Additionally, the Clearlake area of the Avenues and neighborhoods from Polk Avenue to Cache Creek, east of Highway 53, have been evacuated. A

state of emergency A state of emergency is a situation in which a government is empowered to put through policies that it would normally not be permitted to do, for the safety and protection of its citizens. A government can declare such a state before, during, o ...

was declared for Lake County by California Governor

Jerry Brown Edmund Gerald Brown Jr. (born April 7, 1938) is an American lawyer, author, and politician who served as the 34th and 39th governor of California from 1975 to 1983 and 2011 to 2019. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic P ...

. A construction worker from Clearlake, Damin Pashilk, was arrested and is currently being held at the Lake County Jail on 17 counts of

arson Arson is the act of willfully and deliberately setting fire to or charring property. Although the act of arson typically involves buildings, the term can also refer to the intentional burning of other things, such as motor vehicles, watercr ...

related to the Clayton Fire and other fires in the area. On the fifth day, August 17, road closures remained and evacuation centers also remained open, with 40 percent of the fire being contained, burning a total of , and 2,327 fire personnel were on the ground. As of August 24, the fire was 98% contained and had destroyed 300 and damaged 28 buildings, and residents were able to return to their homes.

References

{{California wildfires 2016 California wildfires Wildfires in Lake County, California California wildfires caused by arson Arson in 2016 August 2016 crimes in the United States