Fork Fire updates: Blaze grows in Eldorado National Forest, ‘minimal resources’ available
The Fork Fire broke out Tuesday afternoon in remote mountain areas of the Eldorado National Forest. We will update the story as information becomes available.
12:46 p.m.: Smoke drifts over Lake Tahoe
Smoke from the Fork Fire was is drifting into the Lake Tahoe Basin, the U.S. Forest Service announced Wednesday afternoon. Officials said the smoke was visible in the Emerald Bay, Tallac and Eagle Falls trailhead areas.
The wildfire continued to burn overnight with moderate to rapid rates of spread. In the next 24 hours, the flames are expected to continue spreading rapidly in a westerly direction in the Rubicon canyon toward Quintette, Volcanoville and Georgetown, according to the U.S. Forest Service.
The U.S. Forest Service on Wednesday considered it a priority to protect those communities, along with critical hydroelectric infrastructure and a high voltage line that provides power to the Sacramento region.
Residents in Volcanoeville, Quintet and Stumpy Meadows were ordered to evacuate Tuesday night. A mandatory evacuation had not yet been ordered for Georgetown, according to the U.S. Forest Service.
On Tuesday night, the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office said deputies would remain in the evacuated areas to provide security.
11 a.m.: Fire grows to 2,500 acres
The U.S. Forest Service says the fire has expanded to 2,500 acres, with spot fires appearing in the Rubicon drainage. The wildfire is one of many burning in Northern California and “minimal resources” will be available to aid in the firefight for the next 48 hours, the USFS said.
“(O)ther large fires in the geographical area are causing strain on federal, state, and local government resources,” the Forest Service said in an email update.
Mandatory evacuations remain in place for Volcanoeville, Quintet and Stumpy Meadows, affecting about 600 residents.
10 p.m.: Evacuations ordered
The El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office has issued evacuation orders due to changes in the Fork Fire’s behavior. “All residents and visitors in the areas of Stumpy Meadows, Quintette, and Volcanoville are required to evacuate,” deputies said in a news release. “This is a mandatory evacuation for your safety. Please leave immediately and proceed in an orderly manner toward Georgetown.”
A temporary evacuation point has been set up at Cool Community Church, 863 Cave Valley Road, Cool.
7:56 p.m.: 500 acres burned and no containment
The Fork Fire had burned 500 acres as of 7:56 p.m., and firefighters had no containment of the wildfire, officials at the Eldorado National Forest said. The wind-driven wildfire was burning in the Crystal Basin and Gerle Creek areas, about 15 miles northeast of Pollock Pines.
Authorities said a red flag warning will remain in effect through noon Wednesday with dangerous conditions that include gusty wind, low humidity and dry vegetation to fuel a fire.
Rapid rates of spread expected to continue through the night, according to the U.S. Forest Service. East winds 25 to 30 mph sustained with gusts up to 50 mph were driving this fire.
4:55 p.m.: More than 400 acres burned
Authorities at the Eldorado National Forest announced that the Fork Fire was now estimated to have burned more than 400 acres. The cause of the Fork Fire was under investigation.
Authorities also said flames from the wildfire were spreading toward the burn scar of the 2014 King Fire in the Rubicon drainage on the the Georgetown Ranger District. The King Fire burned for 26 days that fall in El Dorado County, burning more than 97,000 acres, according to Cal Fire.
2:15 p.m.: Fire spreads in Eldorado National Forest
A large and rapidly spreading wildfire is burning Tuesday afternoon in Eldorado National Forest, forcing evacuations west of Lake Tahoe amid critically windy weather sweeping through California, U.S. Forest Service officials say.
The Fork Fire had burned more than 100 acres and was growing intensely in the area near Wentworth Springs Road and Gerle Creek, Forest Service authorities said in an update shortly before 4:30 p.m. on social media. The wildfire is burning about 25 miles north of Highway 50 between Pollock Pines and Kyburz.
Ground resources and aircraft are responding to the fire, which the Forest Service said has “significant growth potential.”
A camera with the AlertWildfire network shows the fire sparking around 11 a.m., quickly creating a large plume that has continued to spew thick, dark smoke through 2 p.m.
The Forest Service says evacuations have been ordered for the Loon Lake, Gerle Creek and Rubicon trail areas.
About 4 p.m., the Placer County Sheriff’s Office tweeted that deputies had evacuated campgrounds and areas surrounding the Hell Hole, French Meadows and Oxbow reservoirs, about 10 miles west of Tahoe, as a precaution.
The Sheriff’s Office asked residents to stay out of this area to allow access for emergency vehicles. Officials also said that all Tahoe National Forest campgrounds were closed because of the Fork Fire. The Rubicon trail also was shut down to traffic.
This story was originally published September 8, 2020 at 2:11 PM.
