Scars from the fire can still be seen not far from the commercial strip where South Lake Tahoe meets the Nevada border in Stateline, where tourists go to gamble. The Angora Fire burned less than 5 square miles (13 square kilometers) but destroyed 254 homes, injured three people and forced 2,000 people to flee. The last major blaze in the area took South Lake Tahoe by surprise after blowing up from an illegal campfire in the summer of 2007. “The fires that are raging all around us nearby are screaming this warning: Tahoe could be next,” said Rep. With the Caldor Fire burning to the southwest and the Dixie Fire, the second-largest in state history with a 500-mile (804-kilometer) perimeter, burning about 65 miles (104 kilometers) to the north, the risk to the lake was top of mind. Tourists typically come to swim and hike, relax along the lake’s calm shores or take their chances gambling, not risk their lives in the face of a potential disaster.Īlthough there were no evacuations ordered and Porter said he didn’t think the fire would reach the lake, it was impossible to ignore the blanket of haze so thick and vast that it closed schools for a second day in Reno, Nevada, which is about 60 miles (100 kilometers) from the fire.Īs the fire grew last week, politicians, environmentalists, and policy makers gathered on the shore for the 25th annual Lake Tahoe Summit dedicated to protecting the lake and the pine-covered mountains that surround it. A major wildfire has not penetrated the Lake Tahoe Basin since 2007. 1 firefighting priority and was “knocking on the door” of Tahoe, said Thom Porter, California’s state fire chief. The Caldor Fire erupted over the course of a week into the nation’s No. Tourists ducked into cafes, outdoor gear shops and casinos on Lake Tahoe Boulevard for a respite from hazardous air coming from an erratic blaze less than 20 miles (32 kilometers) away. Ash rained down on Lake Tahoe on Tuesday and thick yellow smoke blotted out views of the mountains rimming its pristine blue waters as a massive wildfire threatened the alpine vacation spot on the California-Nevada state line. The Maui wildfires are proof that carbon zealotry can kill Green activists have hurt the environment by letting Hawaii and California burn Here’s why more Americans are bailing on buying homeowners insurance Gerren said the department will keep the old fireboat, but that it will be mostly used for additional support to help protect the 3-mile-long, 1-mile-wide lake.San Francisco’s smoky air could be a Giants-49ers problem The massive wildfire is now less than 20 miles from Lake Tahoe. Call the Fallen Leaf Fire Department at 53, if anyone in your family, because of disability or other condition, would be unable to get to a safety zone on their own during an evacuation, or if you want to schedule a home visit/inspection. The new fireboat cost about $268,000, of which $250,000 was funded by El Dorado County. Smoke from the Caldor fire shrouds Fallen Leaf Lake near South Lake Tahoe on Tuesday. THE DESIGNATED ESCAPE ROUTES IN THE FALLEN LEAF LAKE AREA ARE. The department’s old boat didn’t provide firefighters with a sufficient water supply and was more the 20 years old, Gerren added. With the new boat, firefighters can douse a fire from the lake or connect hoses to it while attacking fires on land. Gerren said having a boat capable of supplying large amounts of water is critical to protecting the mountainous region, especially since several lakeside houses can only be accessed on foot or by water. “And that’s primarily what it’s used for.” However, its main purpose isn’t to zip around the lake, said Jerry Atherton, founder of Lake Assault Boats. At full speed, the vessel burns through about 55 gallons of fuel per hour.
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