Don’t visit Lake Tahoe this Labor Day weekend, officials plead as Caldor Fire burns

As the Caldor Fire continues to burn through South Lake Tahoe’s basin, triggering mass evacuations and creating some of the most hazardous air quality in the world, area officials are warning visitors to stay away this Labor Day weekend.

About 15 million people visit Lake Tahoe every year, according to the Lake Tahoe Visitor Bureaus, with many of them visiting during the summer months. Labor Day is usually one of the region’s busiest weekends of the year, with up to 100,000 visitors arriving, SFGATE reported.

But this summer has seen some of the largest wildfires in California’s history, leaving the Tahoe area suffocated by thick clouds of smoke and ash.

Area officials have urged travelers to stay away during Labor Day for multiple reasons, including concerns that holiday traffic could block critical evacuation routes that saw hours of traffic gridlock after an evacuation order was issued to Tahoe residents and visitors on Monday.

“The Lake Tahoe area is a popular destination for many Bay Area residents during Labor Day weekend,” the Alameda Police Department tweeted Monday. “With dangerous fires & evacuations underway, please help keep the roadways clear for evacuees, emergency services, & resources. Do not attempt to drive to the area this week/weekend.”

In a joint statement, officials from the Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority, North Lake Tahoe Resort Association and Incline Village Crystal Bay Visitor Bureau said they were “joining forces” to ask tourists to postpone any visits.

“The well-being of our local residents, businesses, communities, and visitors is of the utmost importance to us,” the statement said. “We ask for everyone’s support in following the orders of emergency agencies. We would also like to thank the firefighters, city, county and emergency organizations and personnel working to protect our communities for their leadership in coordinating efforts.”

Much of the Lake Tahoe basin remains under the mandatory evacuation order, the statement added.

The Caldor Fire has burned through 210,259 acres of land over 19 days, destroying 811 residential and commercial structures and damaging 44 more, according to data from Cal Fire. The nearby Dixie Fire, about 50 miles to the north of the lake, broke records for being the second-largest wildfire in California history and has consumed almost 860,000 acres of land over 49 days. The two fires are the first in history to burn from one side of Lake Tahoe to the other, The Los Angeles Times reported.

The fires have also prompted the U.S. Forest Service to close the state’s national forests through at least Sept. 17, according to The Sacramento Bee.

In parts of South Lake Tahoe, the air quality exceeds the most dangerous threshold by nearly 200 points. Air quality degrades from “very unhealthy” to “hazardous” when the Air Quality Index exceeds 300, and various spots around the lake had readings close to 500 on Wednesday, according to PurpleAir.

This story was originally published September 2, 2021 at 2:21 PM.