All 22,000 South Lake Tahoe residents were forced to evacuate as California's Caldor fire continued its rapid advance eastward. Vehicles were backed up for miles on the main evacuation route. (KQEDnews)
All 22,000 South Lake Tahoe residents were ordered to evacuate late Monday morning as the Caldor Fire continued its rapid advance eastward, breaching Echo Summit at several locations, and threatening to extend further into the Tahoe Basin.
An evacuation order is defined as an immediate threat to life. Evacuation shelters are located at Truckee Veterans Hall and the Douglas County Community Center in Gardnerville, Nevada. "So there's fire in the basin," Cal Fire Chief Thom Porter reported solemnly at a Monday afternoon briefing. Officials are still assessing last night’s damage in the El Dorado County communities the fire swept through, including the Sierra-at-Tahoe ski resort, where snowmaking equipment had been activated in the hopes of gaining some protection from the blaze. More than 600 structures have already been destroyed, and at least 20,000 more were threatened.
Fire officials sounded resigned in a community meeting Sunday evening, as new evacuation orders were issued across El Dorado and Alpine counties in the wake of"extreme rates" of fire spread, said Eric Schwab, Cal Fire's operation section chief.Jim Dudley, Cal Fire incident meteorologistinclude Meyers, just 7 miles south of South Lake Tahoe, which itself was issued an evacuation warning.
But Sunday's effort was far more a struggle, with crews having to carry hoses by hand through rough terrain. Triple-digit weather also lays ahead through Tuesday, leaving little optimism. "Today's been the hottest, driest day so far on the fire," said Jim Dudley, Cal Fire incident meteorologist,On Sunday night and Monday wind will increase, Dudley said, prompting officials to call a Red Flag Warning for the northern Sierra and the southern Cascades which takes effect 11 a.m. on Monday through Tuesday evening.
The most problematic flank of the blaze – the northeastern section which has jumped Highway 50 between Kyburz and Strawberry – "got very active [Thursday] and jumped over our proposed control line and ran about 800 acres... burning up to the 7,500 elevation line," Schwab said. Nonetheless, Schwab sounded a note of optimism Friday evening regarding the blaze's eastern section south of Highway 50, calling it a"success story for today." Crews were able to establish multiple bulldozer containment lines east of where the fire is burning – that is, between the fire and the Tahoe Basin – and Schwab was hopeful that planned overnight backfire operations would succeed in halting the blaze's eastern progress.
One thing that will go a long way toward limiting the spread of the fire to the northeast? Topography. To reach the Tahoe Basin in that direction, the Caldor Fire would need to cross the crest of the Sierra Nevada – the high-altitude shoulders of Pyramid Peak and Ralston Peak are somewhere upwards of 8,000 feet at their lowest point. And there's a whole lot more granite up there than timber.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Caldor Fire Forces Evacuations in South Lake TahoeEvacuation warnings were issued Sunday for the southern part of the Lake Tahoe Basin, in South Lake Tahoe (corrects an earlier tweet, which has been deleted, that incorrectly stated warnings were issued for the entire basin)
Read more »
California's Caldor fire moves closer to more heavily populated areasCalifornia's Caldor fire moved closer to more heavily populated areas in the northern part of the state on Sunday, leading to more evacuation orders and warnings as well as road closures, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said.
Read more »
Air quality in Lake Tahoe area considered extremely unhealthy dur to Caldor Fire: WHOThe air quality near the Lake Tahoe area is nearly 40 times what the World Health Organization deems unhealthy, due to the thick smoke from the Caldor Fire.
Read more »
Caldor fire crews remain in 'pretty good firefight' as they brace for red flag conditionsThe biggest threat to the Tahoe Basin could be yet to come, as the National Weather Service has issued red flag warnings of gusty wind conditions.
Read more »
California’s Caldor Wildfire Nears Lake Tahoe, Forcing Mandatory EvacuationsCalifornia’s Caldor wildfire nears Lake Tahoe, forcing mandatory evacuations
Read more »
Pakistan's army says fire across Afghan border claims two soldiersFire from across the border in Afghanistan kills two Pakistani soldiers in the second such attack since the Taliban took over Kabul
Read more »