Wednesday, Sept. 26 — It's fall in Lassen County, but the bright blue sky typical of this year is a bit hazy today.

According to Dave Junette, Office of Emergency Services chief, there are no incidents in Northern California, but due to a north wind, the smoke could be coming from a fire in Washington, moving out of the jet stream and settling into the valley.

There is another fire, about 90 percent contained, on the California/Mexico border but Junette said Lassen County is not receiving smoke from it.

In the past week, fire crews have responded to several fires in the Lassen County area.

Junette said an abandoned home in Herlong was completely destroyed due to a fire last Thursday, Sept. 20. At one time, Junette said the home was a nice place and based on the construction and craftsman style he estimated it could have been built in the 1940s or 1950s. But, the home was never going to be brought back to a livable place, according to Junette.

Last winter, the home suffered a fire that destroyed one wall and part of the floor, but the recent fire burned it down, according to Junette.

In the mid-morning of Saturday, Sept. 22, fire crews were dispatched to a small spot fire along Highway 139 in the Willow Creek Valley. According to Junette, a bird struck the power line, causing it to arc. The fire probably started either from the sparks or from the bird falling to the ground.

Some local residents took action in trying to put the fire out before fire crews responded. Later that afternoon, crews responded to an approximate half-acre vegetation fire in the Doyle area.

According to Helen Frazier, a dispatcher with the Sierra Front Interagency Dispatch Center in Minden, Nev., the fire was caused by lightning.

It burned on the west side of Seven Lakes Mountain, east of Doyle. The fire was contained and controlled that day. The fire fell in the Minden jurisdiction.