![]() ![]() “We’re taking advantage of good weather,” said Parker Wilbourn, the incident public information officer. Just south of Christmas Valley, where firefighters succeeded in protecting most homes from the blaze, crews were lighting back burns and toppling trees to reduce the threat of dry fuels igniting if embers fall in the area. Flames there were spotting viciously throughout the day as helicopter and hand crews worked to knock down spot fires. One of the most active sections of the blaze is just north of Kirkwood and Highway 88. Snowmaking machines have been turned into firefighting tools at Kirkwood and at Heavenly Mountain Resort, pumping out water to soak buildings, ski lifts and forests. One of the main priorities Thursday night was keeping the fire from reaching the Kirkwood Mountain Resort and its surrounding cabins. The fire burning in El Dorado and Amador counties had consumed 210,893 acres acres as of Thursday and destroyed about 845 buildings. “We have a lot of resources, we’ve put a lot of control lines in, and we’re making a lot of good progress in and around the homes between Meyers and South Lake Tahoe, so we’re feeling more confident about that.”Īs of Thursday, just two homes were damaged in Meyers, and no additional losses were reported in the Tahoe Basin since the flames blew over Echo Summit on Monday night. ![]() “We’re feeling cautiously optimistic,” said Brian Newman, Cal Fire operations section chief. In more good news for Tahoe, the wind was expected to shift direction Thursday, blowing the fire south, away from the lake known for its crystal-clear waters and the surrounding communities, forests and renowned ski resorts. “But until it’s totally out, a big wind event could change conditions and cause problems.” “South Lake Tahoe dodged a bullet because the winds never materialized,” said Craig Clements, director of the Wildfire Interdisciplinary Research Center at San Jose State University. The fire remains too close to the picturesque vacation destination for comfort. South Lake Tahoe so far has been spared - in part thanks to a lucky break in the weather, but it’s far too early for those on the front lines to feel a sense of relief. Winds over the next few days are expected to be mild, giving crews a chance to cut off the fire’s advance before it burns through another community. The fire is now the second-largest actively burning in California, a state that sets new records for wildfires each year.Ĭaldor and the Dixie megafire, the second-largest blaze in recorded state history, this year became the first two fires to burn across the Sierras.For the first time in days, the pace of the Caldor Fire’s growth slowed Thursday, giving firefighters a sense of cautious optimism even as they warned that the unpredictable blaze still threatens parts of California’s famed Tahoe Basin. 30, more than two weeks after it was ignited dozens of miles away, the Caldor fire lurched over the Sierra Nevada mountains and began pushing toward Lake Tahoe, one of California’s most recognizable tourist destinations.ĭays later, the fire was burning a few miles just to the south of the city of South Lake Tahoe, whose 22,000 residents had been ordered to evacuate.īy this weekend, the fire had not inched much closer, offering hope that a community on edge may be spared.Įven as its path so far has mostly avoided South Lake Tahoe, the Caldor fire has become a stark reminder that few places in the West Coast may be immune to the risk of burning. Satellite image by Copernicus Sentinel-2. Sources: CalFire (burned areas through Sept. ![]()
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