Clearlake council ratifies local emergency after Boyle’s Fire, approves assistance center and temporary road closures

Clearlake’s City Council unanimously ratified a local emergency declaration on Sept. 12, 2024, after staff reported widespread damage from the Boyle’s Fire and approved temporary road closures to support a Local Assistance Center (LAC) at the youth center.

City staff told the council that the fire consumed about 81 acres, prompted roughly 4,000 evacuations and left about 9,000 utility customers in the city without power. "We were able to repopulate all residences at 7AM last evening," an unidentified staff speaker said. Staff provided an initial count of damaged property that included 25 destroyed dwellings, three damaged dwellings, 32 destroyed accessory buildings and four damaged accessory buildings — a total the staff described as 64 structures damaged or destroyed — and 79 vehicles destroyed. The staff gave an initial estimate of approximately $15,000,000 in public and private damages.

The council approved two actions by voice vote. One was approval of a temporary closure to facilitate the LAC — described in the meeting as a closure of Gulf (Golf) Avenue between Lakeshore Drive and Ballpark — so multiple agencies can co-locate services for affected families. The council also moved and unanimously approved a resolution ratifying the director of emergency services' local emergency declaration and requesting the governor proclaim a state of emergency for Clearlake due to the Boyle’s Fire. The ratification included a correction to the emergency-start date in paragraph 3 to read 09/08/2024.

Why it matters: the LAC will centralize services and reduce repeated intake for residents who lost homes or need assistance. Staff said the LAC will operate Monday through Wednesday next week from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and will include county and state agencies such as the assessor-recorder, IHSS, Department of Social Services, CalFresh, environmental health, Cal OES and DMV, along with nonprofit partners including Adventist Health, the Red Cross, California Southern Baptist Disaster Response, Church of the Brethren, Episcopal Disaster Response, Salvation Army and World Vision.

Staff said North Coast Opportunities (NCO) will provide case management at the LAC. "Hope City will register an affected family...and all of us within the LAC will be able to see this information in real time," a staff speaker said, describing software for intake so families do not have to repeat their stories at each table. Staff also said they have pledged $402,000 to NCO for case management tied to prior fire response work and are coordinating additional referrals for housing, including hotel placements and potential priority access to vacant affordable units.

Public-safety steps and cleanup: staff cautioned residents not to sift through fire debris until hazardous-waste cleanup is complete; they said scheduling for debris cleanup is pending the Department of Toxic Substances Control and is not expected this week. Staff emphasized hazardous-waste abatement is needed before homeowners can safely return to salvage personal property from destroyed parcels.

Donations and funds: council members and staff urged donors to coordinate with NCO to avoid duplicate offers and unmanaged drop-offs. One council member reported the council has several thousand dollars in a relief account to begin awards and described plans for committee review and distribution of funds via checks.

Next steps: staff will operate the LAC next week, continue damage assessments, pursue scheduling for hazardous-waste cleanup with the Department of Toxic Substances Control, and work with county and state officials on eligibility for consolidated assistance or a state declaration. Council also agreed to place a future agenda item to examine credentialing and access by people claiming press status in active emergency areas after members raised concerns about vehicles blocking emergency routes.

The council adjourned after the emergency ratification and informational discussion.