Mendocino Lake Complex Fires: 8 Fatalities; 36.5K Acres Destroyed; 245 Homes Lost

MENDOCINO COUNTY, CA – The Mendocino Lake Complex fires, burning as the Redwood and Potter fires in Mendocino County and the Sulphur Fire in Lake County, consumed more land, 36,500 acres as of Friday morning, with some advancement in containment, according to Cal Fire.

The National Weather Service issued new wind advisories and red-flag warnings for the region over the weekend.

The death toll grew to eight on Thursday in the massive blazes. No details were released on the victims.

Total containment for the Mendocino Lake Complex fires is projected as Nov. 1, Cal Fire said. Homes destroyed totaled 245, with 15 damaged. Two commercial buildings were logged as damaged, with 124 "minor structures" lost and another 26 damaged, the agency said. Firefighting personnel at the scene total 1,712.

The Redwood and Potter fires, which broke out Sunday night in the Mendocino National Forest regions, north of Highway 20, west of the forest and south of Black Bart, as of Friday morning destroyed additional land overnight with 34,000 acres consumed. Thursday's land damage was recorded as 32,100 acres.

Containment, however, advanced to 10 percent, up from Thursday's 5 percent, according to Cal Fire.

The Sulphur Fire, as of the latest assessment on Friday, had consumed 2,500 acres and was 55 percent contained, an advancement from 45-percent containment Thursday. The blaze broke out Sunday in Lake County, off Highway 20 and Sulphur Bank Road in the Clearlake Oaks area.

"Damage inspection teams have completed damage inspections for the Sulphur Incident and are continuing to survey for damaged and destroyed structures throughout the Redwood Fire," Cal Fire said. "Firefighters utilized favorable weather conditions to their advantage today, across both fires, towards achieving containment and providing structure defense, however, the fire continues to burn in multiple directions threatening numerous communities and infrastructure.

"Steep inaccessible terrain coupled with critical fuel moistures, and northwest winds will provide challenges for crews working on the fire," the agency said.

The largest of the Northern California wildfires, the Atlas Fire, has burned 43,762 acres, mostly in Napa County and is threatening part of Solano County. It was 7 percent contained as of Thursday night, Cal Fire said.

The Tubbs Fire, which started Sunday night near Calistoga and spread to Santa Rosa and elsewhere in Sonoma County, has burned 34,770 acres and was 10 percent contained as of Thursday night, according to Cal Fire. The entire city of Calistoga remains under evacuation since Wednesday.

Calistoga Mayor Chris Canning said although his city was ordered to evacuate because of approaching flames, fire crews have kept them at bay and no damage has been reported within the city limits.

Canning warned any residents trying to return to mandatory evacuation areas that they will be distracting from the firefighting effort.

"If you are not a first responder, you are not welcome," he said.

ALSO SEE: California Offering Tax Relief for Businesses Impacted by Fires

--Bay City News contributes to this report/Image via NWS