On Sunday afternoon, August 14th, Lake Transit evacuated its Lower Lake headquarters facility due to the fast approaching Clayton fire. As buses were evacuated from the yard, some were sent on missions to evacuate patients from St. Helena Hospital – Clearlake, and still others were sent to evacuate residents of “The Avenues” area of Clearlake, east of State Route 53. As the evening fell, evacuees were being transported from the Highlands Senior Center to emergency centers in Kelseyville and elsewhere. Our first concern is safety for the community, and we are thankful that we were able to help today.
While the fire burned up to the clear area around the Lake Transit bus yard, the facility appears to be safe tonight thanks to the efforts of fire fighters who defended the perimeter. While the facility is safe, we anticipate that power outages will disrupt dispatch operations on Monday, so please be patient if you need to contact us.
Early on Monday morning, Lake Transit will assess the fire situation and provide an update regarding transit services. We will operate to the extent that it is advisable given road closures, and the need to keep some drivers and buses available for additional evacuations and recovery efforts. For more information, please check back on Monday.