LOWER LAKE, Calif. _ Tucked between the devastation of three massive wildfires, the townspeople of Lower Lake on the southeast tip of scenic Clear Lake became a salvation last year for their Lake County neighbors on every side.
But this weekend, with unexpected ferocity, a new blaze tore through this simple town, destroying a dozen buildings downtown _ including the local Habitat for Humanity office _ and more than 100 homes in the neighborhood around it.
With the Clayton Fire advancing and hot spots threatening to flare up and do more damage in town, fire crews from around the state are rushing to this remote region. In the shadow of affluent wine country, Lake County residents are watching the plumes of smoke with apprehension and dread and wondering: What more can a community endure?
"One thing after another keeps disappearing," said Fran Lang, 32, who escaped her home with her husband on Sunday with nothing but their Chihuahuas.
"It's just lost, lost, lost," her husband, Aaron, said Monday outside the evacuation center set up 14 miles south in Middletown, which is still recovering from the Valley Fire last September that destroyed nearly 2,000 homes in the area.
The Clayton Fire, which burned 4,000 acres and destroyed 175 structures in Lower Lake over the weekend, calmed on Monday, with intermittent plumes rising over the ridges outside town and swirling into the blue sky.
Fire crews remain on high alert, however.
"Just because there's not a lot of activity now doesn't mean we're out of the woods," Cal Fire spokesman Daniel Berlant said Monday afternoon. "Our concern is that embers could rain down on these homes."
Lake County is one of the most scenic yet poorest counties in the state. Many of the homes burned along Quarterhorse Road, just off Main Street, were trailers and old bungalows.
A tour of town showed the extent of the devastation. An old firehouse lay in embers, along with the United Methodist Church, the Tuscan Village Restaurant and the Aloha Bay Candle Factory.
Cody Young, 25, worked as a candlemaker there. He's also a volunteer firefighter and on Monday arrived in his yellow firefighting gear to survey the damage.
"Oh my God," he said as he peeked into the melted remains of the candlemaking warehouse. "I'm out of work."
Although a dozen businesses were destroyed downtown, many still remain, including the U.S. Post Office, the pawnshop and Maynard's Bar.
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