Evacuations were ordered in the town of South Lake Tahoe on Monday as the massive Caldor Fire continues to threaten homes and property in the area:
Fire crews are working to save this house off S. Upper Truckee Rd.
What is has going for it, the wind wants to push the fire up, so it’s slowly burning down. Crews are putting water on the tree (hard to see) and will be here all night at this location. @ABC10 #CaldorFire pic.twitter.com/XmymCWtuVD
— Devon Haskins (@devonhaskins) August 31, 2021
It is being called “the worse [fire] in the area in 100 years”:
FIRE EMERGENCY: New evacuations near Lake Tahoe, California have been ordered while all national forests in the state are being closed. The Caldor Fire is being called the worst in the area in 100 years. ABC’s Megan Tevrizian has the new details. pic.twitter.com/3vkykZylUX
— ABC World News Now (@abcWNN) August 31, 2021
The fire has burned “more than 186,000 acres” so far:
#BREAKING Flames from the Caldor Fire have reached the Sierra At Tahoe ski resort near Lake Tahoe. The fire has burned more than 186,000 acres according to @CAL_FIRE . This video is a time lapse taken over the past three hours at Sierra at Tahoe by @AlertWildfire @nbcbayarea pic.twitter.com/x0aGoAH9wx
— John Zuchelli (@tvzuke) August 31, 2021
And as of this morning, it’s only 15% contained:
#CaldorFire near Little Mountain, south of Pollock Pines in El Dorado County is 191,607 acres and 15% contained. Unified Command: @CALFIREAEU @EldoradoNF, @ElDoradoSheriff https://t.co/3GMD2rz0XK pic.twitter.com/yKbmAQXUnX
— CAL FIRE (@CAL_FIRE) August 31, 2021
The ski resort Sierra-at-Tahoe used their snow-making equipment to keep the firing from destroying the chair lifts and other infrastructure:
Using snowmaking equipment to stop forward progress of the Caldor Fire at Sierra-at-Tahoe. The snow guns created a mist that protected the lodge. A firefighting technique I certainly haven't seen before
Photos by @JoshEdelson @karlmondon @KCRATeSelle pic.twitter.com/4ZkQXlsSi5
— Alissa Walker (@awalkerinLA) August 30, 2021
More coverage with maps so you can see exactly what’s burning and where:
East side of Christmas Valley flaring up with breezy conditions. Map in next tweet for reference #CaldorFire pic.twitter.com/H6TOVfO7i6
— Scott Rodd (@SRodd_CPR) August 31, 2021
— Scott Rodd (@SRodd_CPR) August 31, 2021
Another cautiously optimistic update on the west side of Christmas Valley.
Crews here say that the fire is relatively low intensity, Fire may back up to homes but there’s confidence they can keep the flame back with hoses and hand tools.
Map in next tweet. #CaldorFire pic.twitter.com/tvMld0zKaH
— Scott Rodd (@SRodd_CPR) August 31, 2021
Red = fire, black = charred area (with lots of hot spots still in there for sure)
Mild winds are blowing roughly north. pic.twitter.com/WFwo725PqX
— Scott Rodd (@SRodd_CPR) August 31, 2021
The evacuation yesterday caused a massive traffic jam out of town:
After the city of South Lake Tahoe just went to an evacuation order status, Highway 50 became a parking lot. Traffic is not moving. pic.twitter.com/vhajBnbxwW
— Karl Mondon (@karlmondon) August 30, 2021
But everyone reportedly kept “their cool” with “no honking or cursing”:
Mountain folk are damn tough. Despite horrible gridlock in South Tahoe as people evacuate #CaldorFire, everybody keeping their cool. Have heard no honking or cursing. One driver really embraced it all blasting Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire." pic.twitter.com/M8KIB0A9qi
— Karl Mondon (@karlmondon) August 30, 2021
One resident played his violin for the stranded motorists:
Longtime Tahoe area resident Mel Smothers plays his violin while being stuck in 2 hours of eastbound evacuation traffic on Highway 50 after mandatory evacuation orders were issued to all of South Lake Tahoe.
🎥: @AlvinJornada
Live updates: https://t.co/IM4gpQeODM pic.twitter.com/8D9bkMx8zq— San Francisco Chronicle (@sfchronicle) August 30, 2021
Not everyone evacuated, however.
This local resident called the fire “inevitable” and he blamed “poor forest management’:
I finally ran into a resident to interview.
William Cottrell is a semi-retired physician and wrote 2 books related to fire. He says “it was inevitable” the area would burn like this due to poor forest management.
“We’re seeing Mother Nature say, ‘OK, my turn.’” #CaldorFire 1/ pic.twitter.com/DF99kPD7FL
— Scott Rodd (@SRodd_CPR) August 31, 2021
Stay safe, everyone:
He stayed behind, despite the evac order. He was packed and ready to go, with sprinklers showering his home.
As the fire burned down both sides of the canyon, he thought he’d have to make a run for it.
But ultimately stayed—with his pup Sherlock by his side. 2/
— Scott Rodd (@SRodd_CPR) August 31, 2021
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