Firefighters prevent Lake County arson blaze from spreading

As of Monday afternoon, it was only 5 percent contained.

The so-called Bluecut Fire erupted in heavy brush just west of Interstate 15, the main freeway between Las Vegas and the Los Angeles area, forcing the closure of one stretch of the highway.

The Clayton Fire is only the latest of several infernos in the county over the past years, including the Valley Fire, which killed four people and destroyed more than 1,300 homes. It has topped ridges in the San Bernardino Mountains and is closing in on high desert communities on the other side.

The fire is shooting flames 80 to 100 feet high.

Crews gained some ground on the Clayton Fire Tuesday with containment growing to 20 percent.

The fire was creating its own weather pattern and shifted northward into Lower Lake in the afternoon, said Suzie Blankenship, a spokeswoman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

On Monday, Cal Fire law enforcement officers arrested Damin Anthony Pashilk, 40, of Clearlake on 17 counts of arson for fires he started over the previous year, according to Cal Fire. Pashilk is suspected of sparking the blaze that exploded over the weekend.

Authorities say a 40-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of starting the blaze that destroyed more than 175 homes, business and other structures in a Northern California community.

A fast-moving wildfire threatened scores of homes at a Northern California lake community that was evacuated because of a devastating nearby wildfire previous year.

Pimlott told KCRA that officials have spent more than $5 million fighting the Clayton Fire, which began Saturday evening along Clayton Creek Road outside of Sacramento. Some structures had already burned but it wasn’t yet clear whether they were homes.

The 14-square-mile fire near Cajon (kuh-HOHN’) Pass has seen massive growth in the eight hours since it broke out on Tuesday morning.

Cal Fire is now battling a total of five fires.

Evacuated areas included the ski-resort town of Wrightwood, where some 4,500 people live. It was considered California’s third-most-destructive wildfire after ravaging most of rural Lake County and parts of Napa County about 90 miles north of San Francisco.

Pashilk is now jail and has been charged with arson.

CAL FIRE said the arson charges facing Pashilk “will also carry enhancements due to the destruction of homes and businesses”.

Feeding on drought-stricken, dry conditions, the fire has burned aggressively and destroyed 175 structures, including homes, businesses and properties.