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Races heat up COMMERCE at Lakeport Wednesday Community Foundation awards Speedway ...................................Page 3 .............Page 6 June 25, 2008 INSIDE Mendocino County’s World briefly The Ukiah local newspaper ........Page 14 Thursday: Sunny H 94º L 54º 7 58551 69301 0 Friday: Sunny H 95º L 55º 50 cents tax included DAILY JOURNAL ukiahdailyjournal.com 14 pages, Volume 150 Number 77 email: [email protected] Fire command at fairgrounds 17 of 131 fires contained; 60 to 70 fires unmanned but being watched By BEN BROWN By BEN BROWN The Daily Journal The Daily Journal As lightning-sparked fires raged As smoke blanketed the across the county for the fourth- Ukiah Valley for the fourth straight day Tuesday, members of a straight day Tuesday, more Cal Fire Incident Command Team than 100 wildfires continued converged on the Redwood Empire to rage throughout the county. Fairgrounds to organize the fire Cal Fire Information camps and resources to combat the Officer Tracy Boudreaux said blazes. Tuesday that 131 fires were “They literally build their own burning in the county for a self-sufficient cities,” said Jennifer total of 13,000 acres. Seward, director of the Redwood Boudreaux said 17 of those Empire Fairgrounds. 131 fires had been contained The fairgrounds are currently on Tuesday though between playing host to the Cal Fire primary 60 and 70 of the smaller fires command center for the 131 fires in remained unmanned but Mendocino County being collective- under observation. ly referred to as the Lightning Fire. “We have multiple fires Cal Fire Capt. Mike Smith, serv- with minimum staffing,” said ing as logistics section chief for the Steve Gasaway, the Cal Fire fires, said the fairgrounds command public liaison officer for the center will serve as a checkpoint for Incident Command Team that all resources coming into the fire. took over Tuesday morning. “All the resources will come in Gasaway said work on the here and be disbursed to the other fires was ongoing and that the branches,” he said. incident as a whole was 0 per- Smith said there are six branches, cent contained. including ones in Boonville, Covelo “We don’t have a damage and the Howard Forest Cal Fire assessment team out yet,” he Station near Willits, that are fighting said. “We’re still working on different parts of the fire. perimeter control.” Under normal circumstances, a Firefighters were having single command center would be some success against individ- enough to route resources to a large Sarah Baldik/The Daily Journal ual fires such as those at Table fire, but Smith said the fires in Mountain, Navarro and Mallo Mendocino County are unique David Toaetolu, right, and Chris Naraine of the California Conservation Corps from Ventura County unload a truck of food for firefighters at the Redwood Empire Fairgrounds Tuesday morning. Pass. Boudreaux said the because they are spread out in 131 Table Mountain Fire had different incidents. grown to 1,000 acres and was “This is countywide,” Smith said, 5 percent contained. “from one end to the other.” Boudreaux said firefighters The six branches serve as com- would be conducting a burn- mand posts for a particular part of ing operation at that fire later the county, reporting to the central Tuesday. command post for resources. Smith “They are working on it,” said the nature of the fire, and the she said. travel time required, makes a distrib- The Navarro fire in uted response more effective than a Anderson Valley was at 1,400 single, central command post. acres Tuesday morning and On Tuesday, Smith said firefight- was 5 percent contained, ers had around 660 firefighters Boudreaux said, and the working in the area, but said that Mallo Pass Fire had reached number could rise above 2,000 in the 800 acres Tuesday. coming days. Other fires still burning in “If we get the resources we want the area included the Orr Fire, to start combating this thing, we’ll be which had reached 200 acres well over 2,000 in a short time,” and had forced the evacuation Smith said. of the Orr Springs Resort and Seward said the fairgrounds is 50 homes Tuesday. working to accommodate the fire- Cal Fire Incident Commander Kelly Govette, left, discusses the The Cherry Fire was at 50 fighters who are using the property areas fires are affecting from the Arts building at the fair- acres and was 50 percent con- as a staging ground and command grounds Tuesday morning. At right, a Douglas fir tree is tained, as was the Foster Fire. center. The fairgrounds also served engulfed in flames on Radical Ridge near Orr Springs Road So far, five homes have Monday evening. Tree photo courtesy of Peter Armstrong See FAIRGROUNDS, Page 14 been destroyed in the fire and another 525 are threatened. Voluntary evacuations have been ordered and no roads ‘We are in fairly dire straits,’ Cal Fire chief reports had been closed Tuesday, Gasaway said. By ROB BURGESS alongside the weekend’s lightning storms was, for numerous, regionally the wildland agencies will go On Tuesday, 669 firefight- The Daily Journal the most part, too minimal to be of any help in into a prioritization mode. It’s important to realize ers as well as numerous For a second straight day the Mendocino County putting out any of the subsequent fire starts. what is going on with the rest of the state. There’s engines and aircraft had been Board of Supervisors was briefed on the wildfires “We are in fairly dire straits as far as the volume quite a bit of activity.” assigned to the fires. Gasaway raging throughout the county and the rest of the of fire on the ground,” he said. “One thing I can Romero said firefighting resources were extreme- said more equipment and per- state. point to is, it could be worse. What happens in wild- Cal Fire Chief Mark Romero said the rain that fell land fire protection agencies when you get that See CAL FIRE, Page 14 See FIRES, Page 14 Sarah Baldik/The Daily Journal A semi-truck sits FOLLOW-UP where it came to rest SEMI VS. HONDA ON 101 after an accident involving a two-door 2 more arrested in stabbing Honda Tuesday after- noon. The two vehi- cles collided shortly at Ukiah graduation party after 4 p.m. on south- The Daily Journal Marlene Street. bound Highway 101 Police have arrested two more sus- Steven Mendez was also found to be north of the Talmage pects in a gang-related graduation in possession of an unsecured handgun over crossing, and night stabbing that left three men with a child in the home and was also the semi then hit a injured, one critically. arrested on suspicion of child endan- guardrail and jack- At 3:30 p.m. Monday, Ukiah Police germent. knifed near the south- Department officers arrested Steven The two men are alleged to have bound Talmage Road Mendez, 24, and Arthur Matthew taken part in an attack about 10 p.m. off ramp. The Honda Mendez, 22, both of Ukiah, on suspi- June 14 on a group of people at a grad- appeared to have sus- cion of attempted murder, assault with uation party in the 900 block of tained minor damage a deadly weapon and participation in a criminal street gang in the 900 block of in the collision. See ARRESTS, Page 14 M Y C K 2 – WEDNESDAY, JUNE 25, 2008 DAILY DIGEST Editor: K.C. Meadows, 468-3526 The Ukiah Daily Journal [email protected] FUNERAL NOTICES POLICE REPORTS The following were com- [\ by his loving wife, Doreen and encouraged dren. She was a proud of his family. piled from reports prepared Grow of Ukiah, sis- his brothers and sisters. member of Kingsley He will be remembered for by the Ukiah Police Depart- ter, Edith and her hus- He built his founda- Chapter #58 OES. his loving smile, ment. To anonymously band, Andy Tovey and tion and sense of humor Besides her husbands his warm embrace and the report crime information, their family of Ontario, from his loving moth- Edward and Richard, love he had for his call 463-6205. Canada, son Jim Grow er to become “Flying Jerline was predeceased in family. Paul loved land- ARREST -- Nicholas and his wife Natalie of Eagle” of the family. death by her pa- scaping, playing con- Noel, 28, of Ukiah, was Ukiah, and step son Lastly, his uncompromising rents Reaburn and Ethel ga drums, listening to arrested on suspicion of Harry Lake of England, and unconditional Kizer of Beaumont, Reggae music, camp- assault with a deadly weapon and family, Grand- love for his wife Marie of Ca. and a brother Wayne ing, backpacking and hav- and inflicting injury on a sons David Grow of Cotati, 20 years and his Kizer of Southern ing a cold beer at spouse in the 1900 block of CA and Steven special children Ashley and California. She is survived the river on a hot summer Elm Street at 4:31 p.m. Monday. Grow of Santa Rosa, CA Nathan. by a large and lov- day and knuckle Those arrested by law enforcement and Granddaughter We welcome you to the ing family; son Ed Butler sandwiches. officers are innocent until proven guilty. Shirley and her husband celebration of his life and wife Anne, Paul is survived by his People reported as having been arrest- Ian Williamson of at Coyote Valley daughters Connie Gordon wife of 7 1⁄2 years, ed may contact the Daily Journal once their case has been concluded so the Edmonton, Canada, and Gymnasium on Thursday, and husband Jerry, Jennifer Prince, daughter results can be reported.

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