Valley Fire

{{For|other wildfires of the same name|Valley Fire (disambiguation)}}

{{Infobox wildfire

| title = Valley Fire

| image = Valley_Fire_California_CALFIRE.jpg

| caption = The fire created a wall of flames and smoke across Lake County, California.

| reference = {{cite web|title=Valley Fire|url=http://cdfdata.fire.ca.gov/incidents/incidents_details_info?incident_id=1226|website=CAL FIRE|access-date=September 13, 2015|archive-date=October 22, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151022083932/http://cdfdata.fire.ca.gov/incidents/incidents_details_info?incident_id=1226|url-status=dead}}

| date = {{Unbulleted list|{{Start date|12|9}} – |{{End date|2015|10|15}}|({{age in days|2015|09|12|2015|10|15|show unit=full}})}}

| location = {{Unbulleted list|Lake County,|Northern California,|United States}}

| coordinates =

| area = {{convert|76067|acre|ha sqmi km2|0}}

| cost = {{Unbulleted list|≥$1.5{{nbsp}}billion|(equivalent to about ${{Inflation|US-GDP|1.5|2015|fmt=c|r=2}}{{nbsp}}billion in {{Inflation/year|US-GDP}})}}

| buildings = {{ubl|1,955 structures destroyed|93 structures damaged}}

| cause = Faulty outdoor electrical wiring{{r|CNN 2016/08/11}}

| landuse =

| fatalities = 4

| injuries = 4 (firefighters)

| perps =

| motive =

}}

The Valley Fire was a wildfire during the 2015 California wildfire season that started on September 12 in Lake County, California. It began shortly after 1:00 pm near Cobb with multiple reports of a small brush fire near the intersection of High Valley and Bottlerock Roads. It quickly spread and by 6:30 PM PDT, it had burned more than {{convert|10,000|acre|km2|0}}.{{cite news|title=Valley Fire Grows To Over 10,000 Prompting Mandatory Evacuations|url=http://abc7news.com/news/valley-fire-grows-to-over-10000-prompting-mandatory-evacuations/981269/|access-date=September 13, 2015|agency=KGO-TV|date=September 12, 2015}} By Sunday, the thirteenth of September, the fire had reached {{convert|50,000|acre|km2|0}} and had destroyed much of Cobb, Middletown, Whispering Pines, and parts in the south end of Hidden Valley Lake.{{cite news|last1=Rossmann|first1=Randi|last2=Payne|first2=Paul|last3=Hay|first3=Jeremy|title=Evacuation advisory for areas of Sonoma County due to Valley Fire|url=http://www.pressdemocrat.com/news/4473490-181/valley-fire-devastation-during-the?gallery=4470892|access-date=September 13, 2015|agency=The Press Democrat|date=September 13, 2015|archive-date=September 15, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150915214156/http://www.pressdemocrat.com/news/4473490-181/valley-fire-devastation-during-the?gallery=4470892|url-status=dead}} The fire ultimately spread to {{convert|76,067|acre|km2|0}}, killed four people and destroyed nearly 2,000 buildings,{{cite news|last=Knickmeyer|first=Ellen|last2=Rodriguez|first2=Olga R.|title=California wildfires: 400 homes burn, one person killed|newspaper=San Jose Mercury News|date=September 13, 2015|url=http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_28805478/lake-county-fire-burns-40-000-acres-evacuations|access-date=September 13, 2015}}{{cite web|url=http://www.pressdemocrat.com/news/4493945-181/remains-of-two-more-valley|title = Remains of two more victims found|publisher=Press Democrat|date = September 17, 2015}} before it was fully contained on October 15, 2015, causing at least $921 million (equivalent to ${{Inflation|US|0.921|2015|r=2}} billion in {{Inflation/year|US}}{{Inflation/fn|US}}) in insured property damage.{{cite web|url=https://www.northbaybusinessjournal.com/northbay/mendocinocounty/8713952-181/mendocino-complex-wildfires-56m-insured-losses|title=Mendocino Complex wildfires cause $56 million of insured losses|author=Hannah Beausang|publisher=North Bay Business Journal|date=September 6, 2018|access-date=September 11, 2018|archive-date=November 25, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181125134308/https://www.northbaybusinessjournal.com/northbay/mendocinocounty/8713952-181/mendocino-complex-wildfires-56m-insured-losses|url-status=dead}} At the time, the fire was the third-most destructive fire in California history, based on the total structures burned,{{cite web|url=http://www.sfgate.com/news/science/article/Destruction-from-California-wildfires-now-tops-6517083.php|title=Northern California wildfire destroys another 162 homes|date=September 21, 2015|access-date=September 21, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150922175726/http://www.sfgate.com/news/science/article/Destruction-from-California-wildfires-now-tops-6517083.php|archive-date=September 22, 2015|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|url=http://www.fire.ca.gov/communications/downloads/fact_sheets/Top20_Destruction.pdf|title=Top 20 Most Destructive California Wildfires|website=CAL FIRE|date=August 20, 2018|access-date=September 11, 2018|archive-date=June 26, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190626025601/http://www.fire.ca.gov/communications/downloads/fact_sheets/Top20_Destruction.pdf|url-status=dead}} but the Camp Fire (2018) and the North Complex fire in 2020 exceeded that total.

Progression

File:Middleton Sign Burning CALTRANS.jpg

The fire quickly spread into Middletown and Hidden Valley, threatening northern Sonoma County around The Geysers, and northern Napa County, approaching Pope Valley and Angwin.{{cite news|last1=Rossmann|first1=Randi|last2=Payne|first2=Paul|title=Valley Fire spreads from Lake to Sonoma, Napa counties|url=http://www.petaluma360.com/news/4475086-181/valley-fire-spreads-from-lake#page=1|access-date=September 13, 2015|agency=The Press Democrat|date=September 13, 2015|archive-date=September 16, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150916185959/http://www.petaluma360.com/news/4475086-181/valley-fire-spreads-from-lake#page=1|url-status=dead}}

In the first few hours of the fire, four CAL FIRE firefighters from the Boggs Mountain helitack crew suffered second-degree burns while engaging in initial attack on the fire. They were airlifted to the UC Davis Medical Center for treatment, where they were listed in stable condition.{{cite news|last1=Fieldstadt|first1=Elisha|title=Four California Firefighters Suffer Burns While Battling Fast-Moving Blaze|url=http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/western-wildfires/four-california-firefighters-injured-while-battling-400-acre-blaze-n426456|access-date=September 13, 2015|agency=NBC News|date=September 12, 2015}}

On September 12, mandatory evacuation orders were issued for Cobb, Middletown, Loch Lomond, Harbin Hot Springs, Hidden Valley Lake, the Clearlake Riviera, Riviera West, and Soda Bay communities of unincorporated parts of Kelseyville, Pope Valley and Angwin. Evacuation centers were established in the town of Kelseyville to the northwest and Calistoga to the southeast.

This area is home to at least 10,000 residents.{{cite news|last1=Digitale|first1=Robert|last2=Callahan|first2=Mary|last3=Kovner|first3=Guy|title=Thousands under order to flee Valley Fire in Lake County; four firefighters burned|url=http://www.pressdemocrat.com/news/4470252-181/wildfire-forces-evacuation-of-cobb?gallery=4470892|access-date=September 13, 2015|agency=The Press Democrat}} By midnight of the first day, scores of homes and businesses had been destroyed in Middletown, along with at least 50 homes in Cobb as well as the entire Hoberg’s Resort, an historic retreat built in the 1880s. The resort community of Harbin Hot Springs was also destroyed. On September 13, officials from Cal Fire confirmed that more than 1000 homes had been destroyed.{{cite news|last1=Utehs|first1=Katie|title=Valley Fire In Lake County Destroys At Least 1,000 Homes|url=http://abc7.com/news/valley-fire-in-lake-county-destroys-at-least-1000-homes/982084/|access-date=September 13, 2015|agency=KABC-TV|date=September 13, 2015}}

On October 15, 2015, the Valley Fire was fully contained, at {{convert|76,076|acres|km2}}. The total cost of fighting the Valley Fire was estimated by the National Interagency Fire Center at $56.2 million.{{Cite report |url=https://www.nifc.gov/sites/default/files/NICC/2-Predictive%20Services/Intelligence/Annual%20Reports/2015/annual_report_2015_508.pdf |title=Wildland Fire Summary and Statistics Annual Report 2015 |last=National Interagency Coordination Center |date=2016 |publisher=National Interagency Fire Center |access-date=March 1, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240302024606/https://www.nifc.gov/sites/default/files/NICC/2-Predictive%20Services/Intelligence/Annual%20Reports/2015/annual_report_2015_508.pdf |archive-date=March 2, 2024 |url-status=live}}{{rp|pages=|page=9}}

Effects

The remains of one woman killed in the fire in Anderson Springs were found on September 13. On September 17, remains of two bodies were found in Anderson Springs and Hidden Valley Lake.

On September 23, Lake County deputies found human remains that belonged to a missing Cobb resident. It was confirmed to be the fourth fatality resulting from the fire.{{cite web|author1=Johnson, Julie|author2=Payne, Paul|url=http://www.pressdemocrat.com/news/4520189-181/lake-county-deputies-may-have|title=Valley fire death toll rises to 4|publisher=Press Democrat|date=September 23, 2015|access-date=September 23, 2015|archive-date=September 25, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150925040257/http://www.pressdemocrat.com/news/4520189-181/lake-county-deputies-may-have|url-status=dead}}

The fire destroyed 1,955 structures, including 1,322 homes, 27 apartment buildings and 73 businesses. An additional 93 buildings were damaged.

The California Department of Insurance estimated the insured losses from the Valley Fire at approximately $700 million.{{Cite web |date=January 25, 2016 |title=Valley and Butte fires cause an estimated $1 billion in insurance losses |url=https://www.insurance.ca.gov/0400-news/0100-press-releases/archives/release009-16.cfm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230529063719/https://www.insurance.ca.gov/0400-news/0100-press-releases/archives/release009-16.cfm |archive-date=May 29, 2023 |access-date=March 18, 2024 |website=California Department of Insurance}} Insurance company Aon Benfield Inc. estimated that damages were at least $1.5 billion, including $925 million in insured losses and $575 million in damage to infrastructure and other federal/state government property.{{Cite news |last=Kasler |first=Dale |date=October 14, 2015 |title=Valley, Butte fires among costliest ever at $2 billion in damages |url=https://www.sacbee.com/news/california/fires/article39167664.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211005160424/https://www.sacbee.com/news/california/fires/article39167664.html |archive-date=October 5, 2021 |access-date=March 18, 2024 |work=The Sacramento Bee}}{{Cite news |last=Swindell |first=Bill |date=October 14, 2015 |title=Valley fire damage likely to surpass $1.5 billion |url=https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/business/valley-fire-damage-likely-to-surpass-1-5-billion/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240318181232/https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/business/valley-fire-damage-likely-to-surpass-1-5-billion/ |archive-date=March 18, 2024 |access-date=March 18, 2024 |work=The Press Democrat}}

Aftermath

File:Lake County support for firefighters (Valley Fire).jpg

The Mendocino County Health and Human Services Agency, in coordination with the American Red Cross, opened a shelter on September 13 at the Redwood Empire Fairgrounds in Ukiah to offer medical and mental health assistance, and meals to evacuees. It closed on September 18.{{cite web|url=http://www.ukiahdailyjournal.com/general-news/20150918/valley-fire-shelter-at-ukiah-fairgrounds-to-close|title=Valley Fire shelter at Ukiah fairgrounds to close|work=Ukiah Daily Journal|date=September 18, 2015|access-date=September 23, 2015}}

Multiple people were arrested for looting or attempting to loot from evacuated or abandoned homes as a result of the fire. On September 14, a man posing as a California Highway Patrol officer was arrested in Whispering Pines on suspicion of removing an artifact of archaeological interest.{{cite web|url=http://www.pressdemocrat.com/news/4490201-181/deputies-say-man-arrested-in|title=Deputies say man arrested in Valley fire area posed as officer|publisher=Press Democrat|date=September 16, 2015|access-date=September 18, 2015}} On September 17, three people were arrested by Lake County Sheriff's Deputies for attempting to loot from homes in Hidden Valley Lake. They were allegedly in possession of burglary tools and an unregistered firearm.{{cite web|url=http://www.pressdemocrat.com/news/4495798-181/three-suspected-would-be-burglars-arrested?gallery=4495450|title=Three suspected would-be burglars arrested in Valley fire zone|publisher=Press Democrat|date=September 17, 2015|access-date=September 18, 2015}}

On September 18, the California National Guard came to Lake County to assist the county's law enforcement with the task of protecting evacuated communities from looters and trespassers. About 50 National Guard military police teams were set to arrive on September 19.{{cite web|last=Larson |first=Elizabeth|url=http://www.lakeconews.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=43456:valley-fire-national-guard-responding-to-help-protect-and-patrol-communities&catid=1:latest&Itemid=197|title=Valley fire: National Guard responding to help protect and patrol communities|work=Lake County News|date=September 18, 2015}}

In November 2015, a concert with country musicians Diamond Rio and Joe Diffie, and Ukiah country singer-songwriter McKenna Faith was held at the SOMO Village Event Center in Rohnert Park to raise money for Valley Fire victims.{{cite web|title=Country stars lined up to raise money for Valley fire victims|url=http://www.pressdemocrat.com/entertainment/4520294-181/country-stars-lined-up-to|publisher=Press Democrat|date=September 23, 2015|access-date=September 23, 2015}}

A Cal Fire investigation pointed to faulty wiring of a hot tub installation as the cause of the fire.{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2016/08/11/us/california-valley-fire-faulty-hot-tub/index.html|date=August 11, 2016|access-date=August 12, 2016|title=Faulty hot tub wiring sparked wildfire that killed 4 in California|work=CNN|quote=The blaze started when a wire at a poorly connected hot tub overheated, melted and ignited dry brush nearby at a home in Cobb town.}}

References

External links

[http://cdfdata.fire.ca.gov/incidents/incidents_details_info?incident_id=1226 Valley Fire] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151022083932/http://cdfdata.fire.ca.gov/incidents/incidents_details_info?incident_id=1226 |date=October 22, 2015 }}, incident information provided by CAL FIRE
[https://web.archive.org/web/20160412194623/http://cdfdata.fire.ca.gov/pub/cdf/images/incidentfile1226_1957.pdf] Valley Incident Damage Inspection Report created 1/5/2016 archived at web.archive.org

Category:2015 California wildfires

Category:Wildfires in Lake County, California

Category:Wildfires in Sonoma County, California

Category:Wildfires in Napa County, California