MENDOCINO CO., 11/08/17 — From the time the Redwood Fire started on October 8, it only a few hours for the flames spread, fast and furious, in a wildfire covering thousands of acres. Hundreds of people fled their homes in the middle of the night, communication systems and power lines went down, the Ridgewood grade was closed, and ultimately nine people lost their lives in the most devastating wildfire in modern county history. A month after the fire started, people are focused on rebuilding, but questions remain about what exactly happened that first night. On Thursday, November 9, at 10am, Sheriff Tom Allman will hold a press conference presenting the official timeline of the first 12 hours of the fire in the Board of Supervisors Chambers in Ukiah. The press conference will be livestreamed for those who can’t make it in person, and saved for viewing later.
In the chaos created by the rapidly spreading fire, it was very difficult to get accurate information that night and into the following morning, especially since multiple fires erupted across the region and emergency response teams were battling wildfires in several places simultaneously. At The Mendocino Voice, we saw the glow of the fire on Pine Ridge outside Willits just after midnight, right at the point that cell and internet service were becoming spotty — and making confirmation with official sources and publishing updates extremely difficult. You can read our initial reports of the fire from that first day starting at 3am here and here for some background on the press conference.
Here’s the official press release for tomorrow’s event:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Incident Number:
Public Announcement
Crime/Incident:
Press Conference – Mendocino Lake Complex Fire (First 12 hours)
Location:
Mendocino County Board of Supervisors Chambers
501 Low Gap Road
Room 1070
Ukiah, California 95482
Date of Incident:
11-09-2017
Time:
10:00 AM
Victim(s):
N/A
Suspect(s):
N/A
Written By:
Captain Gregory L. Van Patten
Synopsis:
On 11-09-2017 at 10:00 AM, Mendocino County Sheriff Thomas D. Allman will be holding a press conference highlighting the events of the first 12 hours of the Mendocino Lake Complex Fire which impacted Potter Valley and Redwood Valley beginning on 10-08-2017.
The press conference will be held at the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors chambers located at 501 Low Gap Road in Ukiah, California.
The press conference will be open to the public and will also be live-streamed on the County of Mendocino Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/
