NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – Firefighters are working to fully control a wildland fire burning in neighboring Napa County.

The Knoxville fire was reported just after 6 p.m. Tuesday on Berryessa-Knoxville Road, according to Cal Fire.

The incident began as firefighters were battling two fires in Lake County near Lower Lake. Some resources from the Lake County fires later were diverted to the Napa County incident, according to radio reports.

By late Tuesday night, the Knoxville fire had burned 39 acres and was 36-percent contained, Cal Fire reported.

Cal Fire said no structures have been damaged or destroyed.

Berryessa-Knoxville Road remained closed overnight at the East Side Access, officials said.

Cal Fire said 15 engine companies, four volunteer companies, four water tenders, four fire crews, two bulldozers and 150 personnel, including five overhead or command personnel, were committed to the fire.

Fire crews were to stay on the scene through the night, working to increase containment, according to Cal Fire.

The agency said the fire's cause remains under investigation.

In addition to Cal Fire, the Napa County Fire Department and the Napa County Sheriff's Office were involved with the response, officials said.

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.

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – A Clearlake man who led a police sergeant on an early morning vehicle pursuit and foot chase was apprehended and found to be in possession of a homemade gun.

James Thomas West, 41, was taken into custody following the chase, which occurred early Monday, according to Sgt. Tim Hobbs of the Clearlake Police Department.

At 2:20 a.m. Monday, Clearlake Police Sgt. Travis Lenz was on patrol when he observed a 1998 Volkswagen Jetta driving on Lakeshore Drive without its headlights on. Hobbs said the driver of the vehicle later was determined to be West.

Hobbs said Lenz attempted to conduct a traffic stop on the vehicle by activating his patrol vehicle's emergency lights. 

West turned his vehicle from Lakeshore Drive onto Kabal Street and accelerated to approximately 50 miles per hour in the posted 25 mile per hour zone. Hobbs said West continued to flee and drove towards the east end of Kabal Street. 

Near the end of Kabal Street, West lost control of his vehicle and crashed into a parked car. Hobbs said the parked car then moved forward and crashed into a second parked car and the second parked car moved forward and struck a tree.

Hobbs said West exited the vehicle and fled on foot to a foot path that leads from the east end of Kabal Street to Memory Lane. 

About 200 yards down the footpath, Sgt. Lenz caught up with West and was able to place him under arrest, Hobbs said.

During a search incident to West's arrest, Lenz located ammunition in one of West’s pants pockets, according to Hobbs.

Hobbs said that during an inventory search of the vehicle, Lenz located a loaded homemade zip gun in between the driver’s seat and the center console of the vehicle West had been driving.

The ammunition in West’s pocket also was the same caliber as the ammunition in the zip gun found in the vehicle, Hobbs said.

West was booked into the Lake County Jail for being a felon in possession of a firearm, felon in possession of a zip gun, felon in possession of ammunition, possession of a loaded firearm in a vehicle, resisting arrest, hit and run, felony evading and driving with a suspended driver’s license, Hobbs said.

Jail records showed that West's bail was set at $65,000. He remained in custody early Tuesday.

UPPER LAKE, Calif. – A powerful earthquake shook Lake County Tuesday night, and was followed a short time later by sizable aftershocks.

A preliminary report from the US Geological Survey said the quake, which occurred at 7:57 p.m., measured 5.1 on the Richter scale.

Its epicenter was located 11 miles north northeast of Upper Lake, 11 miles southeast of Lake Pillsbury, 26 miles north northwest of Clearlake and 24 miles east northeast of Ukiah, at a depth of 11 miles, the US Geological Survey reported.

Residents from around Lake County reported feeling the quake.

Some reported that it rolled for about 15 seconds. For others, it felt like a strong jolt, followed by a rolling motion and a second, stronger shake.

As of 8:45 p.m., the US Geological Survey reported receiving more than 700 shake reports from 62 zip codes, with those numbers continuing to climb.

Reports came in from all around Lake County, and from the neighboring counties of Mendocino, Glenn, Colusa and Sonoma. Other reports came from as far away as Chico, Morgan Hill, Vacaville, West Sacramento and San Francisco, with still more reports being submitted.

For those who want to file a shake report, go to http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/nc72672610#shakemap and click on “Felt Report” in the lefthand column.

The magnitude 5.1 quake is one of the largest to hit Lake County over the last decade, based on a review of earthquake records.

Some residents reported on Lake County News' Facebook page that it was the strongest quake they had felt in the county in decades, with furniture moving, houses creaking and pool water shaking.

One community member said it was the worst she had experienced in more than 40 years of living in Lake County.

That main quake was followed by a series of aftershocks that began about nine minutes later, including a 2.7-magnitude quake northeast of Upper Lake at 8:08 p.m. and a 3.0 quake north northeast of Upper Lake at 8:24 p.m., based on US Geological Survey records.

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.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lakeport Economic Development Advisory Committee will get project updates and discuss goals when it meets this week.

The meeting will take place from 7:30 to 9 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 10, at Lakeport City Hall, 225 Park St.

On the agenda is a status report from city Associate Planner Dan Chance on the Lakeport Downtown Improvement Project's phase two, which is now under way, and the Lakefront Revitalization Plan.

City Community Development Director Kevin Ingram will lead the discussion of goals and priorities in developing the Lakeport Economic Development Strategic Plan.

LEDAC advocates for a strong and positive Lakeport business community and acts as a conduit between the city and the community for communicating the goals, activities and progress of Lakeport’s economic and business programs.

It is chaired by Wilda Shock, with the membership including Vice Chair Christine Hutt, Secretary Rebecca Southwick, and members Bill Eaton, Melissa Fulton, Pam Harpster, George Linn, Taira St. John and Panette Talia.

Lakeport City Community Development Director Kevin Ingram and City Manager Margaret Silveira serve as ex-officio committee members.

Shock reported that there are currently two vacancies on LEDAC. Members do not have to be Lakeport residents.

Meetings for the remainder of the year are scheduled on Oct. 12 and Dec. 14.

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.

LOWER LAKE, Calif. – Firefighters are continuing to work fires in and around the Lower Lake area that began early Tuesday evening.

The main incident, the Kugelman fire, was dispatched as a grass fire in the 15000 block of Kugelman Street just after 5:15 p.m.

A short time later another fire was reported on Seigler Canyon Road, about a mile from Highway 29.

Reports from the scene indicated that multiple structures were threatened by the blazes, with mutual aid requested from fire agencies around the lake and from Mendocino County.

Less than 10 minutes after dispatch, Lake County Fire Protection District Chief Willie Sapeta was calling for evacuations due to the Kugelman incident.

He also asked to have Highway 53 closed at Dam Road and Jesse. Later, the California Highway Patrol reported that Seigler Canyon and Perini roads were closed.

Meanwhile, the first units arriving on scene at the fire on Seigler Canyon reported that there was one structure fully involved and five acres of vegetation on fire, and power lines down. That fire was on both sides of Seigler Canyon Road, with the fire on the west side burning up a slope and threatening multiple structures.

Lake County Social Services on Anderson Marsh Parkway was reported to be evacuating shortly after the Kugelman fire was reported, as the building was in immediate threat.

At about 5:30 p.m., another fire was reported in the area of Highway 29 and Diener Road near a Pacific Gas and Electric facility, according to radio reports. However, units responding to the area said they didn't find any fire there.

A spot fire jumped Lake Street shortly before 6 p.m., with Sapeta calling for immediate evacuations of Bryant Road and Lake Street.

The Lake County Sheriff's Office subsequently ordered evacuations in the Bonham and Big Bear Road areas shortly after 6 p.m.

Officials also activated the Lake Evacuation and Animal Protection group under Lake County Animal Care and Control.

Cal Fire aircraft and engines were coming from inside and outside of Lake County to help battle the fires, according to radio reports.

Just before 7 p.m. the sheriff's office reported that parents of children at Lower Lake High and Lower Lake Elementary School could respond to pick up their children. Parents were instructed to travel to the area of Main Street to Adams Street to pick up children in the school parking lots.

Reports from the scene just before 7:30 p.m. stated that the Kugelman incident was 45 acres and 20-percent contained, based on measurements taken from Cal Fire air attack. A size estimate was not given at that time for the other fire.

At about the same time, the CHP said that Highway 53 was open to one-way traffic.

Also at 7:30 p.m., officials released Lake Evacuation and Animal Protection from the scene.

Incident command also reported at around 7:45 p.m. that officials were repopulating some specific areas in Lower Lake, while the Seigler Canyon fire area was remaining evacuated.

Some Cal Fire units were leaving the Lower Lake incidents to respond to another wildland fire in Napa County, according to radio reports.

Additional information will be posted as it becomes available.

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.

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California’s birth rate among adolescents has continued to decline to record-low levels, with Lake County's rates also showing another reduction, according to a new report from the California Department of Public Health.

The state’s 2014 numbers indicate a record low of 20.8 births per 1,000 females between the ages of 15 and 19. Those numbers reflect a 10 percent decline from 2013 and a 55 percent decline from the 2000 rate of 46.7, the agency reported.

"California’s continued success in reducing births among adolescents is an excellent example of public health at work,” said CDPH Director and State Health Officer Dr. Karen Smith. “We can have a positive influence on the lives of young people when we empower them with knowledge, tools and resources to make healthy choices.”

In Lake County, the most recent study showed the teen birth rate was at 34.3 per 1,000, with a repeat birth rate of 16.7 per 1,000, according to state data.

While significantly higher than the state average, Lake County's rates have shown marked improvement over the past several years, based on CDPH studies, and the new rate reported this week appears to be the lowest in more than a decade.

Past years' studies showed that in 2013, the birth rate was 35.5 per 1,000, compared to 38.8 in 2012, 42.1 in 2011 and 43.4 in 2010. Additional data going back to 2005 showed the lowest rate was 37.5.

Across California, the birth rate among adolescents decreased among all racial and ethnic groups between 2000 and 2014. During this time, the birth rate dropped from 77.3 to 31.3 (births per 1,000 females aged 15 to 19) among Hispanics, 59.1 to 24.6 among African Americans, 22.3 to 8.4 among Whites and 15.0 to 3.7 among Asians, according to the report.

Despite these declining birth rates, racial disparities persist in adolescent childbearing in California, the numbers showed.

African American and Hispanic adolescents are three to four times as likely to give birth as white females. In addition, officials reported that the birth rate among adolescents varies considerably across counties, from a low of 7.0 in Marin County to a high of 45.1 in Kern County.

California has a number of programs aimed at preventing adolescent pregnancy and improving pregnancy outcomes among young women.

CDPH funds the Information and Education Program, the Personal Responsibility Education Program authorized through the Affordable Care Act of 2010, and the Adolescent Family Life Program for expectant and parenting adolescents.

In addition, the state provides no-cost family planning services to eligible men and women, including adolescents, through the Family PACT Program.

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – A small wildland fire temporarily closed a portion of Highway 16 early Tuesday morning.

The Cowboy fire was first reported on Highway 16 near the junction with Highway 20 in Colusa County and near Cowboy Camp trailhead at approximately 11:59 p.m. Monday, according to radio reports.

The fire was estimated to be about five acres in size and burning uphill just before 12:30 a.m., reports from the scene indicated.

At that point incident command requested that Caltrans respond to close a portion of Highway 16 near the junction with Highway 20.

Shortly before 2 a.m. the fire's forward progress was stopped by firefighters, with significant work needed to put in control lines around the fire, incident command reported.

One lane of traffic was ready to be reopened at around 3 a.m., according to radio reports.

Shortly before 4 a.m. the fire was reported to be contained at just over six acres, according to incident command.

Radio reports indicated that Cal Fire and local fire crews responded from Colusa, Lake and Yolo counties.

Incident command estimated that resources could be committed to the fire into Tuesday afternoon.

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.